AGL Resources Monday morning reported that the president of its Sequent Energy Management subsidiary — Douglas N. Schantz — went missing sometime early Friday morning during a business trip to New Orleans.

During a press briefing Monday afternoon, Marlon Defillo of the New Orleans Police Department said Schantz was last seen Friday morning at 2 a.m. CST exiting a Bourbon Street club. Defillo added that the executive could have been a victim of a crime. U.S. marshals and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have joined the search.

AGL Resources announced a $25,000 reward for information regarding the executive’s disappearance that might help locate him.

Schantz, 54, who was named president of Sequent in May 2003, leads all aspects of Sequent’s operations, including natural gas asset management, supply and distribution, trading and producer services. He has 20 years of experience in the energy industry and natural gas markets and came to Sequent from Cinergy Marketing and Trading.

“We are deeply concerned about Doug, and personnel from AGL Resources and Sequent have been working around the clock with law enforcement agencies to determine Doug’s whereabouts,” said AGL Resources CEO John W. Somerhalder II.

Peter Tumminello, an executive vice president at Sequent, has stepped in as acting president of the Houston-based business.

Sequent began operations in 2001 in Houston, quickly building a natural gas business providing customers with asset management and optimization, storage, transportation, producer and peaking services, and wholesale marketing. Currently Sequent buys and sells natural gas, with daily physical volumes of more than 2.7 Bcf, across more than 70 pipelines with more than 330 counterparties located across North America.

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