Altintas was last seen leaving his place of employment at 5:00 p.m. on October 24, 1997. He worked as a domestic servant in a private residence at the time. He was supposed to meet a friend in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D. C. that evening, but never arrived. On October 28, three days after his disappearance, some of Altintas's friends found his 1985 Volkswagen in the 1800 block of 18th Street in northwest Washington, D. C. The vehicle was locked and had not been forced into, and there was nothing suspicious inside.

Altintas has never been heard from again. He was not having any personal or medical problems at the time of his disappearance. He was divorced but had a good relationship with his ex-wife. Altintas resided in the 1900 block of Plyers Mill Road in Wheaton, Maryland at the time he went missing. His case remains unsolved.