Shams was visiting his wife in Modesto, California. He was on his way home when he called his brother to state he would be stopping at a friend's house in Palmdale, California on October 8, 1997. He is believed to have made it to Palmdale however never arrived home in San Diego. His car was found abandoned behind a Holiday Inn in Victorville, California on October 14, 1997 with the key was still in the ignition.