Hikers From The United States Missing in Foreign Countries

While I was in Nepal during the summer of 2010, an American trekker went missing in the Himalayas. Since I'm involved with Search and Rescue here in the States and was in Nepal to learn about their own SAR team (for a book project), I was very interested in the search for the missing girl ... who is still missing today. The story became international news, and thousands of people, many of whom had never met the young woman, donated to the search effort and joined the family's Facebook page, to offer their support and wait for any new developments.

It's bad enough when a loved one sets out for a hike here in our own country and disappears. Imagine then how frustrating it must be when a friend or family member goes missing in a foreign country, where the customs, the language, the government and the Search and Rescue system -- if there is one -- is so different than our own. And how horrible to be thousands of miles away, unable to participate in the search and having to wait for what little information there might be to trickle back. I witnessed firsthand this particular family's frustration and desperation in Nepal and here at home, halfway round the world.

Unlike in the United States, where Search and Rescue is usually carried out at no expense to the victim or their family, SAR often comes at a price -- often a large one -- to the family of the missing when that search happens abroad. This changes the whole dynamic of the mission, not to mention places a great burden on the family to raise funds as quickly as possible in order for the search to even begin.

Below, I've included information on several cases of missing American hikers in foreign countries, along with some of the latest news on these searches, some of which are now solely in the hands of families and friends. I'll add to the page if and when I find more cases (though some receive much more media attention than others) and update the page when -- hopefully -- these missing people are found.