NEW ORLEANS – Distraught family, friends and co-workers of a Houston executive who has been missing, apparently since he left a Bourbon Street nightclub very early Friday, have descended on New Orleans in a desperate attempt to find him.
Doug Schantz, 54, who is president of Sequent Energy, was in town last week to give Tulane a $25,000 donation, which has become an annual donation. He was last seen around Bourbon and Toulouse. Investigators said he never used his hotel room key that morning and that his phone and bank accounts have not been used.
“My dad was pretty fearless,” said Michael Schantz, his son. “Something bad just happened at the wrong time. He knew the city pretty well. My sister is a senior here at Tulane and she just really wants him to see her graduate.”
Schantz and other members of Sequent Energy went to a Tulane reception for students who had received scholarships from the company’s donations Thursday before heading to the French Quarter.
“I believe, firmly, it's a random act,” said Michael Schantz. “I think if you look at the timeline, around 2 a.m. Thursday night. And last spotted around the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse, I do believe it had to do with a random act of violence or some other foul play.”
Schantz and his father’s colleagues at Sequent said the NOPD has been responsive and that they’ve also been contacted by the FBI. He said the group has even received good response from people on the street while distributing flyers.
Darlene Cusanza of Crimestoppers aid they’ve received several leads, but they’re hoping for more detailed information. They have an offer of a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“We're hoping that someone out there, with the facts being out on the street, knowing that he was out on Bourbon St. early Friday morning, know that someone might have seen him,” she said. “Now that his picture is out there, anything they might remember, maybe seeing him in a club, please give us a call. The family is obviously desperate for information.”
