A 27-year-old Agoura Hills man has not been seen since he left a home in the semi-rural Old Agoura neighborhood eleven days ago, and detectives are now asking the public for help finding him. Luther Cooper was last seen on August 15 at 12:43 p.m. in the 5900 block of Fairview Place, an area of wide, multi-acre lots that borders public parkland and trail access into Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyon.
According to a bulletin from the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station, Cooper is a white male standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a tattoo on his left forearm. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and shorts. Detectives believe he may be traveling in a gray 2014 Toyota Camry bearing California license plate 7GBR337, and his family has told investigators they are concerned about his well-being.
The bulletin, dated August 18 and issued under the byline of Sheriff Robert G. Luna, was created by the LASD Operations Center and carries bulletin number 026-03862-2223-400. It includes a photo of Cooper taken in February 2026. Cooper resides in Los Angeles County, and the notice lists his National Crime Information Center number as M179053254 and his FBI file control number as 2322622800170, details that allow his description to circulate through law enforcement systems nationwide.
How the Investigation Is Being Handled
Agoura Hills does not maintain its own police force. Instead, the city contracts law enforcement services through the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, with the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station providing 24/7 patrol coverage for five contract cities in the western Santa Monica Mountains, including Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, and Westlake Village. While the initial report was taken locally, cases like Cooper's that require sustained investigation are ultimately handled by the LASD Homicide Bureau's Missing Persons Detail in Monterey Park, which takes over when local leads are exhausted or specialized support is needed, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
State law shapes how quickly a case like this moves. Under California Penal Code Section 14211, law enforcement agencies are required to accept missing person reports immediately, with no waiting period, and to give those reports priority over property crime investigations, according to FindLaw. The same law requires agencies to enter missing person data into the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System and the National Crime Information Center within two hours of taking the report, a mandate designed to get descriptions and vehicle information into the hands of officers statewide almost immediately.
Vehicle Alert Could Help Track Cooper's Movements
That rapid data-sharing extends to Cooper's car. With his Camry's plate number entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center, officers anywhere in the country could flag the vehicle during a routine traffic stop or through an automated license plate reader, according to the California Department of Justice. Whether any such reader has picked up the Camry since he was last seen remains an open question, as does whether Cooper left the area voluntarily or under circumstances investigators consider concerning.
Statewide, the case fits into a much larger pool of active investigations. California Department of Justice figures for 2025 show agencies recorded 2,093 missing adult reports classified under unknown circumstances and 380 classified as suspicious, according to the state Department of Justice. Separately, local Southern California law enforcement data suggest that roughly 70 percent of missing person cases resolve within 48 to 72 hours, meaning cases that stretch beyond that window, like Cooper's, typically require the kind of sustained, cross-jurisdictional tracking now underway.
How to Report Information
Anyone with information about Cooper's whereabouts is asked to contact Detective J. Bailey at the LASD Homicide Bureau, located at 1 Cupania Circle in Monterey Park, by calling (323) 890-5500. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS, submit information online at lacrimestoppers.org, or use the P3 Tips mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store; tips that lead to an arrest or case resolution can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
