At first, Darrel Kempf's disappearance looked like a mob hit, with millions of dollars missing. Now investigators know the truth -- it was an elaborate scam fueled by greed and deception.

But there's still a mystery: what caused Darrel Kempf to fake his own death? And what happened to all those millions? Both just vanished, leaving behind a trail littered with hundreds of local victims.

"Devastation."

"I was in shock."

"He obviously did this with malice in his heart." Those the words of some of the many victims. When Darrel Kempf disappeared he left chaos, confusion and desperation behind.

"How could somebody do this to their family?" asks Jessica Kempf, Darrel niece. She also lost thousands of dollars in dealings with her uncle.

For 11 years, Kempf ran a prosperous, law-abiding car dealership - Triad Marketing - from a lot in Pierce County. Kempf relied on his low-key charm for referrals and repeat customers.

"I was like 'this is a good guy,' " is what one customer originally thought.

But in late January, Darrel Kempf's elaborate house of cards came tumbling down.

"He intended to defraud people," said Bill Wright, head of dealer enforcement with the state Department of Licensing. "He intended to get as much money as he possibly could and obviously disappear with it."

Kempf's minivan ran off the road on a remote stretch of road in rural Pacific County. Investigators found no blood, no body, and no sign of Kempf.

Tow operator Maynard Barnum found a belt tied to the steering wheel when he brought the vehicle back up to the road. He figured out what investigators now freely admit.

"When this baby went off into the rocks, there was no one in it," he said.

Kempf just disappeared. And he took millions of dollars with him.

Many Victims

This is how investigators say the scam worked:

First, someone brings their car to Triad to sell on consignment. Kempf would use that car's title as collateral to get a loan from a finance company.

Then he'd sell the car to someone else, pocket all the cash and disappear. That left the original owner, the finance company and the car buyer without their money and all fighting over the same car. It happened dozens of times, and hundreds of victims are paying the price.

Including his own family.

"Just over $70,000," Jessica Kempf said while outlining the amount of money they have at risk because of Darrel.

Jessica and Gabe Kempf gave their uncle Darrel a custom truck as a trade-in on a Honda Pilot.

They also wanted him to sell their older Honda Accord. Instead, Jessica Kempf says, Darrel forged their signatures.

"This is the forged title to the Accord," she said while holding up the piece of paper with signatures that don't look anything like their own.

Kempf took out loans on both their Hondas. And the truck, like Darrel, vanished. Their insurance company reported it stolen.

"The worst thing you can imagine," said Jessica. "It's your worst nightmare."

Unbeknownst to Jessica and Gabe, Kevin Sakai of Gig Harbor paid Darrel $32,000 for their truck. "It seemed like a totally legit thing," he said.

You can imagine Sakai's surprise when a Sheriff's deputy pulled him over, guns drawn. "Next thing I hear, 'let me see your hands!'"

The deputy made Sakai kneel on the ground with his hands on his head and wanted to know why he was driving a stolen truck.

"I had the adrenaline shakes," Sakai said. "I was just like, couldn't believe it was going on."

Even Kempf's own parents are victims. One of those finance companies repossessed their Subaru wagon they'd purchased through Darrel.

"As the days go by I get more angry about it," says Sakai, "just thinking about this guy and how he just screwed everybody."

The Department of Licensing is trying to negotiate solutions between dozens of victims who all "own" the same car.

"We've got two harmed people," says Wright. "The difficult thing is what can we do for them? We can't make anyone whole."

Still at Large

So where is Darrel Kempf? Until the scam unravelled he lived a seemingly blameless existence.

"Darrel had no history of anything up until this point," said National Insurance Crime Bureau Agent Dale Zlock.

Zlock began investigating and helping local law enforcement when complaints began rolling in.

Hidden in all the mess, there is one tiny clue as to Kempf's motive. Investigators discovered that he took out a loan for breast enhancement surgery for a woman who also used to help Kempf with his car business. Investigators can't find her either.

"I wish I knew where he was," says Wright, "but I don't think anybody knows where he is."

"From what we understand," adds Agent Zlock, "he does have a Bolivian passport and is quite fluent in Spanish."

It turns out Kempf's parents were missionaries in Bolivia. He was born and went to school and grew up there. Investigators think he's probably fled the country, and they've alerted Interpol.

But in spite of his connections in South America, Kempf still has ties here, including a granddaughter.

"His family is here, his family is in this country, it's in this state. He will probably come back," said Zlock, who has faith that eventually they will catch him. "He won't stay gone forever."

Detectives from Pierce County and the National Insurance Crime Bureau met Friday with prosecutors. They tell KOMO 4 Problem Solvers they hope to file forgery charges against Kempf soon.

There could be hundreds of people out there who may not yet realize they are victims of Kempf's scam.

The Department of Licensing says the victims may not find out until they try to renew their license tabs and suddenly realize they're not the registered owners of the vehicles.

If you purchased a vehicle from Triad Motors and Darrel Kempf, check with the state now, rather than waiting.

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After this report aired, I received a letter from Darrel's sister, Lori Kempf. You can read the letter online.