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Man Ran In, Never Came Out: Mystery Surrounding Mansion Fire In Mt. Washington Continues To Deepen

MT. WASHINGTON (CBSLA.com) —    Investigators have not been able to find many clues in the mysterious mansion fire that is believed to have killed the man who claimed he was the owner of the home.

Robert Tieger, according to witnesses, ran back into the burning home to save some dogs.

But days after searching the charred remains of the residence, Tieger was no where to be found.No one has filed a missing persons report, so says KCAL9's Tom Wait, there is no one looking for him.

So where is the 81-year-old?

Wait looks at the latest twists in the mystery.

When a fire tore through the 9,000 square-foot what was left is a growing mystery.

"The way I describe Mr. Tieger is that he's the Hugh Hefner from the East side," says David De Anda, a realtor who once listed the property on Sea View Avenue.

De Anda  says the owner was listed under multiple names over the years but Tieger insisted he controlled it.

"He introduced himself as the homeowner. But on title he was not the owner. Mr. Tieger was actually a foreclosure specialist, so this property was on foreclosure for seven years or more," De Anda said.

Tieger lived in the sprawling home with 10-12 tenants.

Neighbors say the property was a problem house, with police called to the location often. For almost a week after the home burned fire crews sifted through the rubble looking for Bob's remains. A neighbor shot video when she spotted the coroner's staff on the scene.

The coroner crew is quoted as saying Tieger is "no where to be found."

A man who says he built the house in the 1990's came back to the property as Wait was shooting. He wanted to see the destruction for himself.

"When I saw it in the news that it was on fire, I was crying. Because it was my baby," says John Fernandez.

As for Tieger, he seems to have vanished without a trace.

"Quite a mystery. It was a mystery when the house was alive. And it's a mystery now," said Vito Devellis, a neighbor.

The home remains gated off. The Fire Department says the property is bank owned.

The fire doesn't also appear to be suspicious but they said they are still investigating.

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