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Former Rock Star reported missing
Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony missing since Friday morning
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 3:07 a.m. ET Oct.16, 2005
LOS ANGELES - Michael Anthony, bassist for the rock band Van Halen (known for various 80's hard rock anthems; Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher) was reported missing last Friday night, according to police.
Mysterious call launches search
Authorities began looking for Anthony on Friday after he made a panicked phone call to a friend, saying he was being pursued by people after rehearsing. He told his friend he was running through water and had lost his pants and shoes in a creek.
Anthony’s disappearance has all the elements of one of the Hollywood thrillers that he scored: a frantic, pre-dawn phone call; an Internet scam; and police searches in Topanga Canyon, a rustic, mountainous area about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles that has long been a favorite with artists and musicians.
Anthony vanished Friday after calling a friend via cell phone to say he was being chased down a ravine near his home by pursuers who were out to "eat" him. The call was made at 3:45 a.m. and no one had heard from Anthony since. One of the few clues that police had was a pair of the missing man’s guitar picks, an empty bottle of tequila and a used latex glove “found halfway down the hill behind his house, where it is believed that they fell as he ran,” the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Friends and relatives said the most bizarre element in the case is Anthony's recent involvement in a “Van Halen” Internet scam. The swindle involves e-mailed appeals for advance money to help move large sums out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Victims are told they’ll get a big chunk of the fortune in exchange for their help.
Los Angeles County Deputy Zbeig Deihl, a sheriff’s spokesman, declined to comment on the Internet scam angle.
But Anthony’s friend and business partner Samuel Roy Hagar, 65, told the Times that Anthony said had been drawn into some kind of Van Halen Cover band fraud and had no choice but to "Eat Him" and Smile.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony missing since Friday morning
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 3:07 a.m. ET Oct.16, 2005
LOS ANGELES - Michael Anthony, bassist for the rock band Van Halen (known for various 80's hard rock anthems; Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher) was reported missing last Friday night, according to police.
Mysterious call launches search
Authorities began looking for Anthony on Friday after he made a panicked phone call to a friend, saying he was being pursued by people after rehearsing. He told his friend he was running through water and had lost his pants and shoes in a creek.
Anthony’s disappearance has all the elements of one of the Hollywood thrillers that he scored: a frantic, pre-dawn phone call; an Internet scam; and police searches in Topanga Canyon, a rustic, mountainous area about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles that has long been a favorite with artists and musicians.
Anthony vanished Friday after calling a friend via cell phone to say he was being chased down a ravine near his home by pursuers who were out to "eat" him. The call was made at 3:45 a.m. and no one had heard from Anthony since. One of the few clues that police had was a pair of the missing man’s guitar picks, an empty bottle of tequila and a used latex glove “found halfway down the hill behind his house, where it is believed that they fell as he ran,” the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Friends and relatives said the most bizarre element in the case is Anthony's recent involvement in a “Van Halen” Internet scam. The swindle involves e-mailed appeals for advance money to help move large sums out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Victims are told they’ll get a big chunk of the fortune in exchange for their help.
Los Angeles County Deputy Zbeig Deihl, a sheriff’s spokesman, declined to comment on the Internet scam angle.
But Anthony’s friend and business partner Samuel Roy Hagar, 65, told the Times that Anthony said had been drawn into some kind of Van Halen Cover band fraud and had no choice but to "Eat Him" and Smile.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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