Garrett Hottle
LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) Update 8/17: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department tells News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle, Nicholas was located on Friday Aug. 15 around 5:45pm in the 72000 block of Highway 111, and has been removed from the missing person database.
This a developing story and will be updated with further information as it becomes available.
Original Article 8/15
The search continues for 29-year-old Nicholas “Nick” Bialkowski, who vanished last month after multiple police contacts in the Coachella Valley.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs#MP148489) and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, his last official contact was July 14 in La Quinta, when Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested and released him the same day.
In a Facebook post, Bialkowski’s mother urged the community to remain alert in La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs, adding: “Our hope is that our recent collective efforts may potentially confirm he is receiving necessary care or support at a facility. Please maintain your search efforts … praying for his safe return!!”
Social media post shared on Facebook from family members say he was last seen a day later, July 15, sitting on a bench outside a Vons grocery store in La Quinta.
In a Facebook post, Bialkowski’s mother called her son’s disappearance “highly unusual” and “completely out of character.” She wrote:
“Nick’s behavior is completely out of character and his disappearance is highly unusual. He has never gone missing before. We believe he may be struggling with mental health issues, possibly compounded by a history of concussions.”
He is described as 5 feet 11, 175 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes, often with a scruffy beard, and a small scar between his eyebrows, according to a family flyer shared publicly online.
Social media post shared on Facebook from Sondra Bialkowski and information on Namus, say Nick left Arizona for Southern California in late June and that his Tesla was later found and towed in Palm Springs.
“Nicholas quit his six figure job abruptly. He left Scottsdale, Arizona on 06/24/25 and ended up in Palm Springs, California where his Tesla was abandoned and later towed. Nick was contacted by Palm Springs police on 07/02/25, by Indio Police on 07/06/25 and by Deputy Sheriff’s in La Quinta on 07/14/25. Nicolas has left his phone behind and has not contacted any of his friends or family.”
Circumstances of Disappearance – (NamUs#MP148489)
On Friday, Palm Springs Police confirmed to News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle they’ve investigated tips as recently as last Thursday but have not located him. Officers say they are aware of surveillance video tied to dine-and-dash incidents involving Nicholas, but have found no record of his Tesla being towed in the city.
“Every time he’s been contacted here in Palm Springs, there was never a vehicle involved,” Palm Springs Police officer Lt. Mike Torres said. “We are unaware of any Tesla that’s involved in anything in Palm Springs or in the in the Coachella Valley. Our records… do not show any tow as well. So I’m not sure who the Tesla comes from. We’re trying to figure that out.”
Obtained from (NamUs#MP148489)
Nicholas Bialkowski was charged with multiple misdemeanors in the month of July in Riverside County, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
NamUs, the federal missing person database, lists him as missing under case #MP148489. Palm Springs Police, Indio Police, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department have all confirmed encounters with him in the weeks before he vanished. News Channel 3 has been investigating the details of those encounters leading up to his disappearance. Here’s the timeline of what we know:
Timeline of Known Encounters
June 30 — Palm Springs (Escena Golf Club):Palm Springs Police responded to a dine-and-dash call at a golf course on Clubhouse View Drive. Officers couldn’t find the suspect at the time, but say a photo taken during the incident was later used to help identify Bialkowski in another case two days later. News Channel 3 has reached out to the Escena Golf Club for more information regarding this incident, and will update you as information becomes available.
July 2 — Palm Springs (Rowan Hotel):Two separate dine-and-dash incidents occurred inside the hotel, one at 10:48 a.m. for about $45, and another at 8:18 p.m. for about $60, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. Bialkowski was identified after an officer recognized him from a photo taken during the June 30 golf course case, linking him to all three incidents, including the call at Escena Golf Club, said Lt. Mike Torres.
“They were able to identify that person at that time because he was contacted by the officer, and then the other officer came in and had a picture of the subject from the initial call,” Lt. Torres said. “They linked them together.”
July 6 — Indio (Dino Restaurant):According to the Indio Police Department, officers were dispatched around 10:42 p.m. after staff reported a customer left Dino Restaurant without paying a $25 bill. A restaurant employee later pointed out the suspect identified as Bialkowski at a nearby liquor store. When contacted, police say he admitted he had no money but was hungry. He was taken into custody after an employee signed a private person’s arrest form on behalf of the restaurant.
Bialkowski was booked into the Riverside County Jail on charges of defrauding an innkeeper and released on July 7. Indio Police say the case has been forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
News Channel 3 has reached out Dino Restaurant about the events on July 6, and will update you with further information as it becomes available.
July 14 — La Quinta (Highway 111 & Adams Street):The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says deputies contacted Bialkowski around 5:17 p.m. after employees reported merchandise stolen from a business. Police say staff identified the items in his possession as belonging to the store. He was taken into custody and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center at 6:43 p.m., then released at 10:08 p.m. the same night. The Sheriff’s Department says the case remains under investigation.
The last known contact the Riverside Sheriff’s Office had with Bialkowski was during his release from custody on July 14, 2025, at 10:08 p.m.
July 15 — La Quinta (Vons, per family):According to Facebook post shared by family Bialkowski was last seen sitting on a bench outside the Vons grocery store in La Quinta. This sighting has not been confirmed by law enforcement.
July 19 — La Quinta (Highway 111):According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched at 7:28 a.m. after Bialkowski’s mother reported him missing in the 78000 block of Highway 111. Deputies confirmed he had been arrested three times in July for misdemeanor offenses, most recently on July 14. The Sheriff’s Department says the investigation remains ongoing.
Palm Springs Police confirmed to News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle they followed up on a possible sighting as recently as last Thursday on Aug. 14, but did not find him.
Bialkowski is described as 5’11”, 175 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, scruffy facial hair, and a small scar between his eyebrows.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Thermal Station at (760) 863-8990 or reference NamUs case ID #MP148489.
This is a developing story, and this post will be updated with further information as it becomes available.
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