Rebels bikie deserter found dead in BMW after being 'shot in the head'

A notorious Sydney crime boss and former president of the Rebels motorcycle gang has been found dead in a BMW after he disappeared months after surviving a failed assassination attempt.

Ricky Ciano, 35, turned his back on the outlaw gang he once led when moved to the Gold Coast in 2015 seeking a “lifestyle change”, but vanished when he returned to Sydney over the weekend to visit his daughter.

Friends and family raised the alarm after they lost all contact with the father of five after Saturday night.

He was found dead inside a BMW in the town of Oberon, west of Sydney. Detectives believe he was shot in the head.

The discovery comes after his wife made an impassioned plea to anyone who had information about her husband to come forward.

"If anyone has seen or spoken to Ricky in the past two days please contact his family ASAP," his wife wrote on Mr Ciano's Facebook page.

A close friend told Fairfax Media that it was “completely out of character for him not to contact friends or family for three days."

"Of course there are concerns about an ex-bikie leaving a club, from what is reported in the media, that is why we are worried,” the friend said.

He was previously the target of an alleged assassination plot that saw former Rebels Burwood chapter member Abuzar Sultani allegedly paid $500,000 to kill Mr Ciano under the disguise of a pizza deliveryman.

The murder plot was foiled when he failed to open his Wamberal home, prompting his interstate relocation.

"It is completely unusual because he was down to visit his daughter and his daughter is his life, so he wouldn't miss it," his friend added.

Police searched Mr Ciano's Hornsby unit on Tuesday but found nothing linked towards his disappearance.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.