By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
Late Friday, Aug. 14, the Independent learned that an Elmhurst resident, an executive for United Airlines, had been missing for more than a week.
According to several news outlets, including ABC-7 Chicago, 49-year-old Jake Cefolia, United’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales, was last seen on Thursday night, Aug. 6, and was reported missing on Saturday, Aug. 8. At press time, he had been missing for more than a week.
Illinois law enforcement, local police, K-9 units and more than 100 volunteers came out to search for Cefolia near the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont, where his vehicle had been found. Friends told Forest Preserve District authorities that he often went for a run in that particular forest preserve location, which has a loop that is about 10 miles long and therefore is popular with runners.
DuPage County Forest Preserve District Chief David Peterson told ABC-7 that officials were unsure whether or not Cefolia might still be somewhere in the forest preserve, but reportedly, he had made no contact with family or friends.
United Airlines released the following statement on its website:
“Our friend and colleague, Jake Cefolia, SVP of Worldwide Sales, was last seen Thursday evening, Aug. 6. We’re concerned about his well-being and have been in touch with Jake’s family over the last couple of days to offer them our support. At the request of the family, we won’t be releasing any additional details at this time.”
Cefolia’s association with United began in 2007. He previously held the position of vice president of sales for the Americas. He was in charge of sales for the United States, Canada and Latin America as well as the Global Accounts Division. Prior to that, he was vice president of Atlantic and Pacific sales, managing director of the Global Accounts Division and managing director for United’s Pacific region, based in Hong Kong, according to United’s website.
Promoted to his current position in August of 2018, Cefolia now serves at the helm of a team of 725 sales professionals who manage sales programs, services, relationships and revenue with corporations, travel management companies and distributors around the world.
Anyone with information about Cefolia is asked to call the Elmhurst Police Department at 630-530-3050.
For updates to this story, visit theindependentnewspapers.com.
