Mystery surrounds disappearance of Lakeland man

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is asking for the public's help in locating a missing Disney employee from Polk County.  Brian Klecha, 35, was last seen during a banking transaction at MidFlorida Credit Union in Auburndale on December 27, 2017.

The last place Klecha lived was a home in Lakeland, but one of his roommates says Klecha was in the process of moving in before he disappeared.

"It was right around Christmastime, so he was just starting to move into the house and I was putting together a rental agreement for him and all that," said Andrew Dowler. "He promised me he'd be here on New Year's to settle up and everything."

Dowler might also be among the last people to communicate with Klecha. Dowler shared with FOX 13 and email he received from his new roommate on Dec. 28. In it, Klecha wrote, "at the moment I might not be at my best."

He finished the letter said he was looking forward to "having a great working relationship and friendship (sic)."

Now, Dowler is worried.

"Something must have happened and it's terrible. I fear the worst. And what can you do about it other than ask people? And nobody knows anything, it seems," he said, adding Klecha was a great guy. "Brian would take the shirt off of his back for just about anybody...he had so much heart and people could easily take advantage of that."

According to investigators, in March, Klecha's car was involved in a traffic accident in the Tampa area. Someone else was driving it.

Police said they couldn't find Klecha at the time and he hasn't made any contact with his friends or family.

Klecha’s family is turning to social media to get the word out about his disappearance. His Facebook page features photos of Klecha, along with a post titled “Help Find Brian."

According to the Facebook page, Klecha shared a home, located at 1316 Long Street in Lakeland, with three other men. The Facebook post says the family is offering a $5,000 reward for information that helps them find him.

Brian worked as a bus driver at Walt Disney World in Orlando. His coworkers told FOX 13 they miss their friend, who "lit up the room like a July 4th sparkler." Another friend described Klecha as, "fun-loving [and] always tried to make us laugh...he wanted to find someone he could spend the rest of his life with and just be happy."

Earlier this week, FDLE agents released a photo of a man they say was the last person seen with Klecha.  They initially said he may have information about Klecha's whereabouts and were asking for help in identifying him, but have since said he's come forward and they are no longer looking for him.

Anyone with information on his disappearance or who can help identify the man in the photo with him is urged to call the FDLE at 813-352-2380.