An American tourist visiting ancient Mayan ruins deep in Guatemala’s rainforests vanished without a trace, sparking a massive search and perplexing authorities.
Raymond Vincent Ashcroft, 66, and his wife were exploring the renowned Mayan city of Tikal with a bird-watching group on Feb. 3 when he decided to return to his hotel room, according to CBS.
Van Phung, his wife, stayed behind with the group to photograph birds and an alligator at the World Heritage site, according to the local media outlet PrensaLibre.com.
When she returned to the hotel, her husband was nowhere to be found, prompting a search party comprised of police, tourist civil authority agents, and soldiers.
Officials didn’t say where Ashcroft lives, but a report matching his name and age shows him connected to an address in Pearland, Texas.
Guatemalan officials have since notified Interpol, which issued a “yellow notice” to help locate vulnerable people who go missing.
Authorities are still looking for Ashcroft seven weeks after his mysterious disappearance.
Tikal, which has an elaborate temple and palace, was inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 10th century AD and is surrounded by thousands of acres of protected land, according to UNESCO.
source:nsemwokrom.com