Dietz was last seen riding his bike home from the Meijer store in Saranac, Michigan on September 8, 2007. He has never been heard from again. When his family checked his home, nothing appeared to be missing except for some financial papers.

Dietz is described as a meek, vulnerable individual and a homebody. At the time of his disappearance, he lived simply on a remote 20-acre property on Eddy Road near the Ionia State Game Area. He was known as the "Bicycle Man" because he used a bicycle as his primary mode of transportation. He had a substantial amount of money in his bank accounts and often talked about it and how he would like to invest it, but he lived a frugal lifestyle. A week prior to his disappearance, Dietz had his hair cut and told the barber he was afraid for his life because someone wanted him to invest his money, would not take no for an answer and was becoming threatening. He said he had given the man access to his bank accounts and the man had visited his home, and he thought the man might be following him.

On September 19, Rami Ikbal Saba tried to forge Dietz's signature to remove nearly half a million dollars from Dietz's bank account and put it into an account in Saba's native Lebanon. A photograph of Saba is posted below this case summary. Authorities discovered he had stolen Dietz's identity, representing himself as the missing man and cashing thousands of dollars' worth of checks in Dietz's name after Dietz disappeared. On September 30, a man claiming to be Dietz called Dietz's brother. He stated he had gotten a girl pregnant and had planned to travel to Greece with her, but he had a stroke. He asked the brother for help in getting money out of Dietz's bank account. The caller spoke with a foreign accent and Dietz's brother realized he was not Dietz. When he asked the caller to give Dietz's mother's maiden name, the caller hung up.

In December 2007, authorities searched Saba's Lowell, Michigan home and arrested him. He was charged with mail fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. These charges are unconnected with Dietz's disappearance. In January 2009, prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Saba's longtime friend, Raogo Ouedraogo. Ouedraogo is a native of the African nation of Burkina Faso, but he was living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when he was arrested. He faced the same charges as Saba. A photo of Ouedraogo is posted below this case summary. Authorities believe the two men worked together to kidnap Dietz, incapacitate him, assume his identity and steal his money. Ouedrago flew to Grand Rapids, Michigan late in the evening on September 11, 2007, three days after Dietz's disappearance, and checked into a hotel the next afternoon. He's been unable to verify his whereabouts during the fourteen hours between the time his plane landed and the time he arrived at the hotel.

In July 2009, Ouedraogo and Saba were additionally charged with kidnapping resulting and death and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. They could face the death penalty if convicted. Saba allegedly admitted the murder to other inmates in jail and said it wasn't planned. Authorities don't know how Dietz was killed or where his body might be, but they think they have enough evidence to prove Saba and Ouedraogo killed him.

Dietz is a retired Amway worker. He was a non-drinker at the time of his 2007 disappearance, and never married. Foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved.

Left: Rami Saba;
Right: Raogo Ouedraogo