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Missing Disney World Cast Member Could Be Victim of Domestic Violence or Drug Abuse

missing disney world cast member brian edward klecha
Credit: FDLE/Canva

A veteran and former Disney World cast member who went missing five years ago is yet to be found, seemingly vanishing without a trace.

Often, we at Disney Fanatic share wonderful and magical happenings from the Disney Parks or about the Walt Disney Company. However, today, we have news of a more serious nature on which to report. In the past, we have reported on some tragedies that have happened at the Disney Parks, and today, we’re sharing an older story.

magic kingdom disney world

Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort, Central Florida / Credit: Disney/Canva

Related: Missing Disney World Cast Member Found Dead

Veteran and Former Cast Member Brian Klecha Vanishes Into Thin Air

Six years ago now, a former Disney cast member, Brian Edward Klecha practically vanished into thin air. Two months after he vanished, his car, a 2014 Jeep Patriot, was discovered abandoned on State Road 618—the Selmon Expressway near the Morgan Street exit—in Tampa, Florida, in February 2018.

Investigators and agents said it had been in an accident a few days prior and that Klecha’s boyfriend had been driving it.

Brian Klecha was a Lakeland Air Force veteran and Disney bus driver. At the time of Klecha’s disappearance, he was 35-years-old. As we recently marked the six-year anniversary of this case, The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is hoping to prompt new tips in the cold case.

missing brian klecha

Brian Klecha was last seen on December 27, 2017, after conducting business at a local bank / Credit: FDLE

Related: Disney Changes Pirates of the Caribbean, Frustrates Fans Beyond Words: “What was Disney even thinking?”

Klecha was last seen on December 27, 2017. He withdrew $200 from a Mid-Florida Credit Union in Auburndale. While authorities have not revealed what this money might have been for, we know that ten days prior to Klecha’s disappearance, his boyfriend invited him to move into a home in Lakeland owned by Andrew Dowler.

Detectives who are working on the case believe Klecha could have been the victim of domestic abuse or drug abuse. They also believe that another party was involved in his disappearance. “The challenge for us has been that we know someone out there knows something,” FDLE Tampa Bay Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said.

When asked by Fox 13 whether law enforcement believes Klecha’s boyfriend, a person of interest in the case, had something to do with the former Disney employee’s disappearance, Brutnell responded,  “I can’t say for sure if we do or don’t. That’s the quandary we are in.”

“You just don’t vanish off the face of the Earth,” Brutnell said.

missing brian klecha car

Brian Klecha drove a grey 2014 Jeep Patriot / Credit: FDLE

Related: Disney Cast Members Injured in Chemical Spill

If anyone has any information regarding Brian Klecha’s disappearance, you can reach out to Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS (8477). A $10,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest.

About Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

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