A massive search effort is underway to find a missing Burbank man who is an FBI Agent. Authorities are now asking for the public’s help in locating Stephen Ivens. They believe he may be in the Verdugo Mountains.
Ivens, was last seen by his family on Thursday night. He lives in the 1700 block of Scott Road with his wife and young child. His wife called police to report him missing shortly after 7 a.m. Friday morning. He is described as despondent and possibly suicidal. His service weapon is missing from his home.
He has been an FBI agent for three years, working on national security in the Los Angeles area. Prior to becoming an FBI agent, Ivens was with the Los Angeles Police Department for eight years.
Ivens is an avid hiker and runner. Bloodhounds tracking his scent believe he headed into the hills above Burbank. The search efforts have concentrated on the Verdugo Mountains. Police and FBI agents were passing out missing person fliers early Saturday morning to hikers at trailheads near the Stough Canyon Nature Center and Wildwood Canyon.
In a news conference this afternoon, Burbank Police Captain Denis Cremins, Captain Mike Parker of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, Steven Gomez, outlined the efforts being taken to find Ivens. Several law enforcement agencies have contributed manpower and resources to the search effort.
The Burbank Police Department has been handling the missing person investigation. A 40-member Sheriff’s search and rescue team (half of whom are volunteer Reserve Deputies) have been combing the hills above Burbank. The Sheriff’s helicopter has also been used in the search. In addition, the Los Angeles and Long Beach Police Department have brought in bloodhounds for tracking, and the Glendale Police Department has provided off-road vehicles.
When asked if the manpower and resources involved in the search were increased because the missing person is a law enforcement officer, Capt. Parker responded, “This is not an unusual effort. We would do the same for other missing persons.”
A check of one of the trails above Wildwood Canyon by the Burbank Police Shooting range found a four-man heavily armed team with automatic weapons walking the trails. The team would not identify the agency they were with. A command post has been set up across from the Starlight Bowl made up of different agency personnel.
So far the search has not turned up Ivens or any evidence connected to him. He is 35 years old, White, 6 feet tall, 160 lbs., with brown eyes and receding brown hair. He wears prescription glasses. What he was wearing when he went missing is unknown. If you see him, police request that you do not contact him, but call 911 or the Burbank Police Department at 818-238-3000.
BurbankNBeyond’s John Savageau also contributed to this story
