Arlington Hts. man's disappearance 'a mystery at this point,' police say

The search for a missing 58-year-old Arlington Heights father is leading investigators to Las Vegas, his wife said Sunday.

"They're actually going to start looking in Vegas," said Kathy Wroblewski, whose husband, Leslie Wroblewski, a man described by family as predictable, disappeared Friday morning. "Somebody, an ex-co-worker, said in conversation in the past, if he ever decided to go somewhere, that would be where he would go. So they're just following a lead."

Kathy Wroblewski said investigators are checking out hotels there. Family members in Las Vegas are also involved in the search. Wroblewski said she and her husband had traveled there in the past to visit family.

However, Wroblewski said she thinks the Las Vegas lead is a false one.

"He loves his family too much to just disappear like this," she said.

The Arlington Heights police would not confirm Sunday whether their investigation had moved to Las Vegas. However, Cmdr. Michael Miljan said police continue to check parking lots, commercial buildings and motels in the Northwest suburbs.

Miljan said there is no indication of foul play.

"We're treating this as a missing person. Pending any further information, there is really not too much to go on," Miljan said. "There doesn't appear to be any family problems or any medical problems. Really, it's a mystery at this point."

If Leslie Wroblewski intended to disappear, he didn't leave any clues to his family. He was last seen at 9:30 a.m. Friday, when he left for work at a Mount Prospect dental lab.

"He left saying goodbye, like he normally does," Kathy Wroblewski said. "My granddaughter was here with me. He said, 'Good-bye. See you later.' And he went off to work."

Leslie Wroblewski went to LaSalle Bank in Mount Prospect at 9:45 a.m. and took the unusual step of withdrawing $2,000, his daughter, Krystal Abbinanti, told the Daily Herald over the weekend.

The night before he disappeared, Kathy and Leslie visited an elderly woman in Chicago whom they take care of. They showed the woman the photo album from their daughter's October wedding, stopped for dinner on the way home and watched television before going to bed.

The next morning appeared to follow the normal routine. Leslie read his newspaper, showered and left for work.

When her husband made the bank withdrawal, he dealt with the bank employee who often handles the family's finances.

"There was nothing unusual in their conversation or his actions," she said.

Kathy Wroblewski said the family is waiting for a subpoena for the tape from the bank. That is on hold until Tuesday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Meanwhile, the family is still searching for clues.

"My kids have been fantastic. They went out to the bank today, looking in the parking lot to see if there was anything there, some broken glass, anything that we could have a lead on," she said. "My husband is very predictable. And this wasn't one of the things that we could predict."

Leslie Wroblewski was last seen wearing a black leather jacket and jeans. He was driving a two-door blue Nissan Sentra with license plate Y399220.

Anyone with information should call the Arlington Heights police at (847) 368-5300.