Tran had been attending school at UCSD. He told his landlady that he was going on vacation "up north somewhere" during Spring Break. He rented a car in San Diego, and on 3/31/97 he rented another car in the state of Washington. His friends and family have not heard from him. The car rented in Washington was not returned and was later reported as a stolen vehicle by Budget rental company. Car was recovered in a hotel lot in Washington 7/22/97 after having been there for 3 or 4 months.