Sorokin was last seen in Oakland, California on July 20, 2009. He had left his Los Angeles, California home on July 19 to go on a business trip to the central Californian coast. He was last seen in Oakland at 8:00 p.m. the next day. He never returned home and has never been heard from again. Sorokin co-owned a clothing business, Kucoon Designs, at the time of his disappearance and is described as a talented entrepreneur.

Two days after his disappearance, a man and a woman attempted without success to use his debit card at a Target store in Watsonville, California. Two days after that, a woman tried to cash one of his business checks at a Bank of America in Santa Cruz. She left when the teller called Sorokin's business for verification. In late July, Sorokin's beige/gold 2007 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with California license plates numbered 8H92932 was found in a mountainous area of unincorporated Santa Cruz County, near Bonny Doon. It had been set on fire and was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.

A few days after Sorokin's vehicle was found, two suspects were arrested in his case. Kenneth Clamp was picked up for an unrelated parole violation, but was thought to have been "peripherally involved" in Sorokin's disappearance. Stewart Skuba was charged with kidnapping with intent to hold for ransom or extortion, robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime with another person. Adam Spencer Hunt turned himself in a few days later to face the same charges. Photographs of the three suspects are posted below this case summary. In early August, Hunt and Skuba were charged with Sorokin's murder. After months of investigation, in January 2010, Clamp was also charged with murder, kidnapping and robbery. Authorities initially believed he was an accessory after the fact; now they think he was directly involved in the alleged homicide.

Authorities believe the three men, who all have criminal histories and were acquainted with each other, had a meeting with Sorokin on July 21 to sell a large amount of marijuana, and the deal went bad and Sorokin was killed. They think he died at a condominum in the 200 block of Felix Street in Santa Cruz, and his vehicle was burned to destroy evidence. In spite of the fire, investigators were able to recover some evidence from the truck. They also identified the woman who tried to cash Sorokin's check, but she hasn't been charged.

Sorokin's friends and family stated they had no idea he was involved in drug trafficking. Investigators haven't disclosed what role he had in the botched drug transaction or whether they have recovered any drugs. Clamp, Hunt and Skuba are awaiting trial. Sorokin's body hasn't been found in spite of extensive searches, but foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved.

Left: Kenneth Clamp;
Center: Adam Hunt;
Right: Stewart Skuba