Yoga Instructor Vanished After Planning to Go on Date. His Body Was Just Found in a Rock Quarry

Arizona police are investigating the death of a yoga teacher whose body was found last week at a rock quarry.

Marcus Freiberger, 45, was last heard from on Feb. 21 before he was scheduled to meet a blind date, AZ Central reported.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news that Marcus is no longer with us,” Freiberger’s sister wrote on Facebook. “Losing him feels like losing a part of ourselves and I know this will be just as difficult for you. We thank all of you for the love and support you have given Marcus and our family.”

Police said officers began investigating his disappearance on March 14, 2025, after receiving a missing person report.

“The investigation was led by the Missing Persons Detail, who completed thorough investigative checks,” the Phoenix Police Department said in a Tuesday, March 25 press release. “No additional leads or evidence were discovered to determine if Freiberger left town or fell victim to any particular crime. Investigators continued to work with family and friends but were unable to determine Freiberger’s whereabouts.”

His remains were found on March 19 at a rock quarry on the outskirts of Phoenix. Police said his death is currently “being handled as a death investigation and is pending results from the Office of the Medical Examiner,” according to the release.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.  

Friends suspected something was wrong when they discovered that his beloved dog was left alone in the apartment.

“He just did everything with his dog,” Freiberger’s childhood friend Amber Cranford tells PEOPLE. “He was constantly at the dog park or taking him hiking, and any time he left, he would call somebody to watch the dog. He was just so into his dog, and the dog ended up being by itself for at least six to eight days.”

Freiberger’s last correspondence with his father and a friend “seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary,” Cranford says. “And then that same night, his phone was disconnected. When you called it, it went to Verizon, basically. And then we called his phone after that, and it’s dead now.”

His 2021 GMC Sierra 2500 pickup with an Arizona license plate is also still missing.

“I really want to get the word out that his truck is still missing,” says Cranford.

Freiberger, who had moved to Phoenix from Prescott, Ariz., three years ago, had recently started a new career as a yoga instructor.

“He had just graduated a couple months ago, and he was working at a place and had a huge following, and he was just very, very happy about that,” says Cranford.  “He was so excited because he had all these ideas for classes and what he was going to do. It was the spiritual thing, and then also just a stress-free job, doing what he liked.  He felt that he had finally found what he was supposed to be doing.”

Friend Nicole Keir, who previously worked with Freiberger at a hotel in Austin, described the former roofer as “very lively and friendly.”

“He was really enigmatic, big smile,” she tells PEOPLE. “We used to all go dancing after work. And there was always fun, like work outings and he would participate. We just got along very well and just always were supportive of each other.”

“It is devastating, and we are in shock,” says Cranford about the news of her friend’s death. “We are obviously heartbroken. It’s going to take a while to process this. There will be a huge void left for all of us. It is a huge loss for every single person who knew him, especially his parents and sister.”