Brother of missing Claremont man says sibling had longtime ties to cult

Before a recent break in the 2023 disappearance of Emilio Ghanem, there hasn’t been much talk about Ruben Moreno.

But things have changed rapidly in the past few weeks.

Authorities are now trying to determine if there could be a link between Ghanem’s disappearance from a Redlands Starbucks and Moreno’s disappearance from a house in Claremont six years earlier. The men shared one major thing in common: Both were members of a cult-like religious organization called His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, which began in Rialto in 2010 and now operates out of Hemet.

Claremont and Redlands police are investigating the cases independently, but the link between the two men looms large.

Emilio Salem Ghanem was 40 when he vanished in Redlands in 2023. (Courtesy of Redlands Police Department)

Darryl “Mu