Montes was last seen on the afternoon of August 15, 2008 in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He left work at 5:00 p.m. and later cashed a check at a bank. He failed to pick up his child at the babysitter's that evening and his girlfriend asked his boss for help finding him. Montes's employer repeatedly called his cellular phone starting at 10:00 p.m. but never got an answer. He has never been heard from again. On August 18, his employer found Montes's white four-door 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass on Six Forks Road near the Upper Barton Creek boat ramp at Falls Lake. The car windows were rolled down and his keys and cellular phone were inside it, as well as a roll of duct tape and a pair of boots. There was no sign of him at the scene.

Montes left behind a two-year-old son. His family doesn't believe he left of his own accord, as this is uncharacteristic of his behavior. His boss said in eight years he had never missed work without notifying someone. His case remains unsolved.