Rwechungula “Rei” Anyabwile, a 63-year-old father of three, was discovered dead in his car weeks after being reported missing by his family, leaving his loved ones devastated and frustrated with the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of the investigation.
Rei was known for his constant communication with his adult children, including his ex-wife, who was out of state when he disappeared in late June. When he stopped responding to texts, alarm bells began to ring for his family.
Concerns escalated when Nandi, Rei’s daughter, checked with T-Mobile and found that he had used less than one percent of his mobile data since June 24—a startling figure considering he was actively driving for Uber Eats at the time.
A regular at LA Fitness in Playa Vista, Rei was last seen on June 22, when he left the gym around 7 p.m. in a white car with dark tinted windows, which later turned out to be a rental vehicle.
Despite efforts to obtain surveillance footage from the gym that could potentially help identify the car, the family encountered a bureaucratic obstacle. The gym could only release the footage to LAPD, leading the family to file a missing persons report on July 6.
As their search intensified, the family became increasingly frustrated with the detective assigned to the case. When they urged her to retrieve the gym footage for additional leads, they did not receive any updates for three days, which fueled their anxiety and feelings of helplessness.
Nandi expressed her frustration, saying, “It was like I was going on trial every day, trying to prove why this case needed attention. We were exhausting everything on our end to get more information.”
The detective’s response was disheartening. She told them she couldn’t access video footage without a warrant and couldn’t review the hours of video due to time constraints. This lack of urgency left the family feeling sidelined and anxious about Rei’s well-being.
Determined to find their father, the family launched their own search efforts, meticulously tracking leads, scouring neighborhoods, and disseminating missing persons flyers. They collectively built a spreadsheet to organize their findings and even reached out to media outlets in hopes of raising awareness.
However, when they brought potential leads to the detective’s attention, she dismissed their efforts, implying that Rei might have been avoiding them due to financial troubles. For his family, such assumptions were particularly painful, as they believed Rei would never intentionally cut off contact.
“We were doing the detective work,” Nandi stated. “Every time we provided her with information, it felt like we were being treated with distrust, as if we were somehow meddling in an official investigation.”
Amanda Tricomi, a friend of Nandi, echoed this sentiment, noting the detective’s dismissive attitude and suspicion, saying, “It was obvious from our end that this wasn’t a high priority thing for her.”
On July 15, Amanda noticed something disturbing: Rei’s posters were taken down from LAPD’s Missing Persons social media accounts. Upon inquiry, the detective admitted it was an error, despite the flyers having only been live for two days.
The situation escalated when the detective revealed on July 15 that a photo of Rei’s rental car had been obtained, showing it parked in a Westchester neighborhood. However, this information came weeks after he had gone missing, and the detective expressed concerns over privacy rather than urgency to locate the vehicle.
Tragically, it was on July 18—nearly two weeks after his family had filed the missing persons report—that Nandi and Amanda spotted the Kia Sorento parked in the same location as the LAPD photo. An LAPD unit confirmed their worst fears: Rei had been found deceased in the car.
The detective, despite having visited the area earlier that day, had not informed the family of her findings, adding to their anguish.
“No family should ever have to discover the remains of their loved ones that have been in their vehicle for three plus weeks,” Amanda lamented.
Neighbors in the area commented that they had seen the white SUV parked for weeks but did not report it, assuming it posed no concern due to its appearance and lack of parking restrictions. Nandi insisted that had the LAPD publicized the license plate from the gym footage earlier, Rei could have been found much sooner.
Rei’s death has been ruled as natural causes, with LAPD indicating no foul play was involved. However, the emotional toll on his family stems not only from their loss but from the perceived negligence exhibited by law enforcement during the investigation.
Remembered as a “kind soul” with a passion for nature and wellness, Rei was also a self-proclaimed ‘book nerd’ who enjoyed carrying a backpack filled with books. His love for horror films, classic rap music, and hiking were among the many aspects of his personality cherished by his children.
As they navigate this painful chapter, Rei’s family is focused on honoring his memory, determined that their efforts to raise awareness about his case will not be in vain.
As of now, the LAPD has not provided a comment regarding the family’s allegations and frustrations.
Rei is survived by his children, Nandi, Kandisi, and Oko, as well as his former wife, Asantewa, and sister, Felise.
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