Hermosa Beach Man, 20, Found Safe After Five Days Missing Without Medication

A 20-year-old man who vanished from the 500 block of Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach five days ago has been found safe, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Fabian Xavier Fernandez was last seen near the pier on August 20 at 7:00 p.m., and investigators had classified him as an at-risk missing person because he suffers from encephalitis and needed daily medication he did not have with him.

The department's missing persons unit posted the update Tuesday, writing that Fernandez had been found, according to LA County Sheriff's. A special bulletin issued under Sheriff Robert G. Luna described Fernandez as a Hispanic male standing 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a scar on his right eyebrow. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and red shorts. As reported by Univision, authorities warned throughout the search that his diagnosis made him vulnerable to severe confusion and seizures without his daily medication.

Why His Missing Diagnosis Triggered an Urgent Response

Encephalitis causes acute brain inflammation that can bring on sudden or worsening neurological symptoms, including disorientation, memory loss, trouble speaking, and unprovoked seizures, per the Mayo Clinic's overview of the condition. The disease can stem from viral infections or from the body's own immune response attacking healthy brain tissue. Nationally, the condition affects an estimated 10 to 15 people per 100,000 each year, with more than 250,000 cases diagnosed over the past decade, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, and while it strikes people of all ages, it occurs most often in younger patients.

Clinical guidance from Encephalitis International notes that interrupting a patient's daily medication schedule significantly raises the risk of cognitive disorientation and acute neurological impairment. Long-term management of the condition often depends on strict adherence to anticonvulsant or immunosuppressive regimens, which is why Fernandez's five days without access to his medication concerned investigators throughout the search near the Hermosa Beach strand, an area that falls under the initial response of local police before wider alerts go out, according to the Los Angeles Blade.

How California Law Fast-Tracks At-Risk Missing Cases

California Penal Code § 14211 requires local law enforcement agencies to accept missing person reports immediately and to submit at-risk cases, including those under 21 or with serious medical conditions, into state and national databases within two hours of receipt, according to FindLaw. The statute is designed to prioritize missing person reports ahead of property crime investigations. The California Department of Justice also runs an automated Missing Persons System that pulls in at-risk reports from local agencies to generate regional bulletins and cross-reference statewide records, per the agency.

Beyond the two-hour reporting mandate, the state has built out additional alert tools for cases like Fernandez's. Assembly Bill 946, enacted in 2023, formalized the Endangered Missing Advisory system, letting law enforcement request statewide broadcast alerts through the California Highway Patrol for missing people with cognitive or physical impairments who fall outside the usual AMBER or Silver Alert age brackets. Separately, under California Government Code § 8594.10 and CHP guidelines, Silver Alerts can be activated for cognitively or developmentally impaired people of any age once local resources are exhausted and investigators determine the person is in immediate danger, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Within LASD, adult missing person cases like Fernandez's are coordinated centrally through the Homicide Bureau's Missing Persons Detail, which manages local filings and statewide database notices, per the department's Manual of Policy and Procedures. Patrol deputies typically take the initial report before the specialized unit takes over follow-up work. The bulletin listed the Missing Persons Detail's contact number and asked for the public's help locating Fernandez while the search was active.

What Remains Unknown

The department's update confirming Fernandez had been found did not detail where he had been during the five days he was missing or how he was located. Law enforcement advisories in these cases typically omit specific recovery locations or condition details, leaving those questions unanswered for now. Anyone with information related to missing person cases can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or via lacrimestoppers.org.