The Missing Americans Project

Looking for People and Answers

December 2013 Blog Posts (15)

U.S. Travel Warning Follows Shooting in Matamoros, MX

The United States Consulate in Matamoros is asking travelers to be judicious when venturing into Mexico. The warning comes after Mexican troops shot and killed a man and a woman Friday in Matamoros.

The travel warning will remain in effect through the holiday season.

The U.S. Department of State recommends downloading the Smart Traveler Program to get alerts about dangerous…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 30, 2013 at 11:11pm — No Comments

USA Issues New Travel Warning for Honduras

Thank you, La Gringa's Blogocito, for flagging this change. The State Department doesn't exactly go out of its way to publicize new threats to U.S. citizens' safety and security when traveling abroad. Thanks also for providing the link to the previous warning --…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 28, 2013 at 2:51pm — No Comments

More Details on the Latest Ex-Pat Murder on Roatan, Honduras

The body of Nedenia Post Dye, great granddaughter of Majorie Merriweather Post, was found in her room on Dec. 22 at her luxury spa resort on the Caribbean island of Roatan, Honduras, police said Friday. A local musician whom Dye was helping quit drugs has been arrested.



Read full…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 28, 2013 at 2:34pm — No Comments

American Heiress Murdered on Roatan, Honduras

Nedenia Dye, a U.S. businesswoman and owner of a luxury spa on the Honduran island of Roatan, was murdered and her husband is in custody as a suspect, police said Monday. The 46-year-old great granddaughter of business executive, philanthropist and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post was found Sunday in her room with “several stab wounds in her body” by…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 25, 2013 at 1:42pm — No Comments

UN Report: Organ Trade the "Single Largest Reason" for Costa Rica Trafficking in 2014

 Thirteen human-trafficking victims in Costa Rica this year were taken for their organs, according to a report on crime in the country that gives new life to an ongoing organ trafficking scandal unfolding in the country.

The report, co-authored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ), found 28 people had…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 24, 2013 at 4:47pm — 1 Comment

Holidays Are So Hard for Families of the Missing

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of the missing -- and, in particular, to those who are experiencing their first holiday season without a loved one who should home and without answers about their disappearance. I'm thinking, in particular, of the families of August Reiger (missing in Ecuador) and Bob Ehlert (missing in Panama). Please keep them in your thoughts. Here's hoping for a better year.

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 24, 2013 at 1:11pm — No Comments

CDC Issues Travel Advisory for St. Martin

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — U.S. health authorities have issued a travel advisory for the French Caribbean dependency of St. Martin because of a mosquito-borne viral disease that is apparently being spread locally at the start of the winter tourist season.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday it is closely following reports of the chikungunya virus among residents of the French side of a tiny island in the northeast Caribbean marketed as the "The Friendly…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 22, 2013 at 10:57am — 2 Comments

Another Big Robbery in Costa Rica -- This Time, the Victims Are 40 Bus Passengers

Read full article.


This follows last week's armed robbery of 30-40 tourists traveling by boat. No arrests yet in either case.

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 16, 2013 at 9:43pm — No Comments

International Cruise Victims Organization Needs Help

International Cruise Victims is an organization created by families that have been victims of crime or negligence on board cruise ships. Like MAP, they advocate for families and strive to build awareness and drive regulatory change to help people travel intelligently and safely. Please take a moment to check out their website (…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 16, 2013 at 12:09pm — No Comments

Spammer Deleted

Apologies for any messages MAP members may have received from a spammer named "Nancy". Every once in a while, one of these "people" manage to sneak through my approval process. MAP respects members' privacy, and we try hard to keep out spammers and spam-bots. Please don't hesitate to flag any odd messages you might receive to my attention at missingamerican@optonline.net.

Best,

Jeff

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 16, 2013 at 11:58am — No Comments

Human Trafficking in Costa Rica

Sex and organ trafficking are the most common form of trafficking in the country. Violence related with crack consumption and organized crime was reported, as well. The high number of cases found related to organ trafficking comes after an investigation that started in the Calderon Guardia Hospital and some private clinics in the capital. Victims were paid $20,000 for kidneys, which is illegal in Costa Rica…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 12, 2013 at 4:24pm — 1 Comment

Ecuador's President Says He Will Push for Oklahoma Teen's Return -- and That of "Dozens of Others" Missing

Oklahoma teen August Reiger disappeared from the Ecuadorean resort town of Banos on Father’s Day in June. On Tuesday, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa met with a representative of the Reiger family. The family said the South American leader made it his mission to find the teen and dozens of others missing in his country.

“Right now we're more optimistic than we have been in a long time because we had some wonderful news today,” the teen's aunt Cristi Reiger told KOCO’s Erielle…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 12, 2013 at 2:55pm — No Comments

Group of 30-40 Tourists Attacked in Costa Rica

A group of between 30 and 40 foreign tourists were assaulted at gunpoint yesterday morning as they made their way to an area hotel by boat in Tortuguero, Limon, police officials confirmed. According to Edwin Miranda of the Fuerza Publica, the group was traveling by river in a boat to a hotel in Tortuguero when a speedboat intercepted them.  Four armed men then boarded the boat in which they were traveling, stripping the tourists of their belongings, passports, and cash.…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 10, 2013 at 11:28am — 1 Comment

Bahamas Tourism Minister "Shocked" by U.S. Travel Advisory

Read full article

All I can say is, the crime problem must be pretty bad, because State doesn't issue such advisories lightly.Travelers should be warned about many locales that State doesn't seem to feel require warning labels.

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 7, 2013 at 4:43pm — No Comments

The Travel-Intel Gap: How Government & Media Fail Travelers

No government keeps credible or reliable track of how many of its citizens disappear while traveling abroad annually or how many foreign nationals disappear while traveling in its country. This information deficit has major implications for the global traveling public. In the absence of timely, credible news, data, and analysis, how can travelers make informed decisions? How can media contextualize “missing abroad” stories as to whether they are anomalies or symptoms of a larger…

Continue

Added by Jeff Dunsavage on December 1, 2013 at 11:17am — 3 Comments

Monthly Archives

2021

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

© 2024   Created by Jeff Dunsavage.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service