MOUNTAIN CENTER, Calif. — A judge has ordered the boyfriend of missing woman Dia Abrams removed as co-trustee of her ranch near Idyllwild, after he allegedly tried to list the property with a real estate agent.
Abrams, 65, is a former La Jolla resident who went missing in 2020 and still has not been found.
During a probate court hearing in Palm Springs on Wednesday, Judge Russell Velasquez said Keith Harper had no authority to list the 117-acre ranch for sale.
“My concerns are Mr. Harper's alleged efforts to hypothecate property that he has no authority to hypothecate or sell,” Judge Velasquez said during the remote hearing.
On August 10, Harper allegedly contacted Orange County real estate agent Jennine Daniels, telling her, “he had owned the Bonita Vista property for sixteen years.”
“He also told me that he believed the property was worth $5.2 million and that he would like it to be listed on the market starting in February of 2024,” according to a sworn declaration filed in court by Daniels.
Harper, 74, has been living on the ranch since Abrams mysteriously went missing on June 6, 2020, two weeks after she amended her trust naming Harper as a trustee.
Abrams’ adult children filed petitions in Riverside County probate court in 2021, seeking removal of Harper as trustee of their mother’s estate.
Court filings allege Harper has failed to file tax returns, missed mortgage payments, and missed payments on the ranch's fire insurance policy since he has taken over as trustee.
In court, Harper’s attorney Rob Schilling initially denied his client had tried to list the ranch for sale.
“We've got unsubstantiated allegations, other than this woman saying he wanted to list the property. Mr. Harper denies that that ever occurred,” said Schilling.
Over the lunch break, however, Schilling was shown screen shots of text messages Harper allegedly sent to the real estate agent. By the time court reconvened, the attorney was singing a different tune.
“During the break, Mr. Munro sent me over a screenshot that Ms. Daniels had received. And I informed counsel and Mr. Munro that we were withdrawing our objections,” Schilling told the judge.
“You are withdrawn your objection to what exactly, sir?” asked Judge Velasquez.
“To the suspension and removal of Mr. Harbor,” responded Schilling.
The judge then ordered Harper removed as co-trustee, effective immediately.
Earlier this year, a court-appointed co-trustee, Richard Munro, announced a $300,000 reward for information leading to Dia Abrams’ remains as well as an arrest and conviction in the case.
That same co-trustee remains under court order to liquidate assets in Abrams’ estate at his discretion, including the three properties near Idyllwild, pending court approval.
One of Abrams’ rental properties – the Sky High Ranch located at 28893 Bonita Vista Road in Mountain Center – recently was put on the market with an asking price of $298,000.
Another rental property owned by the estate — 36581 Tool Box Spring Road in Mountain Center — remains on the market at a reduced price of $850,000, according to online listings.
Abrams’ Bonita Vista Ranch has not yet been listed for sale. It was being operated as a short-term rental property by Keith Harper doing business as Cali’s Great Escape.
It remains unclear if or when the court-appointed trustee may initiate eviction proceedings against Harper, now that Harper has been removed as a trustee.
Harper did not respond to a message seeking comment for this report.
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