Jeff Dunsavage's Blog – February 2014 Archive (15)

Alhaji Mamut Ceesay and Ebou Jobe are from The Gambia in Western Africa, and after more than a decade working in the states, and naturalizing as U.S. citizens, they decided to return to their home and start a business. Alhaji, who has two children and worked as an infrastructure systems analyst for Chevron and Texaco in Houston, had just obtained his MBA. His friend Ebou, a father of three, was an operations manager at Walmart.

The two cashed in their 401(k) savings and gathered…

Sad ending. Not a lot of details yet. 

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A British man who flew to Mexico to get married claims he was attacked and thrown into jail, where he was stripped, beaten and forced to pay more than £2,000 for his release. Martin Lonsdale and his fiancée Kayleigh flew to the resort of Playacar, south of Cancun, with 30 friends and family members for a wedding in the sun.

But when Lonsdale and usher Rhys Quinn went for a walk along the beach, they were set upon by two men. Unprovoked, one of the…

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James Stacy was last heard from on Jan. 25 while he was driving near Matamoros, MX, on his way home to Kentucky. He told a friend he was being followed by armed individuals in two white vans. The friend heard a shot fired, then the connection broke. The family was contacted once by his captors, his bank account was drained using his bank card, and, since -- silence. …

The family and friends of Harry Devert, the American adventurer who disappeared in Mexico more than three weeks ago, has started a petition to try to get the attention of President Barack Obama as he heads to that country Wednesday.

"The petition was started in an effort to bring awareness to President Obama and his administration that many American citizens, including Harry, are missing in Mexico, and in turn ask the Mexican government's…

The family of Harry Devert, missing since Jan. 25 in Mexico, is seeking help funding the search for the 32-year-old world traveler. If you have been following his case and want to help, here is how.

Read the latest update on the murder of U.S. ex-pat Kurt Heigis near La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Thank you, Inside Costa Rica, for your diligent and respectful coverage of this case.

Another young woman missing in Maui. Carly Scott's disappearance follows that of Moreira "Mo" Monsalve, who disappeared more than a month ago. …

Update on murder of Kurt Heigis, U.S. citizen murdered near La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Thank you, Inside Costa Rica for being one of the few English-language news organizations in the region that actually want to do real journalism.…

As the body count rises in Honduras, and crimes against locals, ex-pats, and tourists increase -- including on the "safer than the mainland" island of Roatan -- a new cruise line has opened in Trujillo,…

Kurt Heigis -- a 64-year-old U.S. citizen living in La Fortuna, Costa Rica -- was killed by unknown assailants around 7:30pm Sunday night on a gravel road about 4km from La Fortuna de San Carlos.  Authorities said the rural road on which the couple traveled is frequented by drug traffickers and addicts.

Heigis was traveling home with a 30-year-old Nicaraguan woman identified as Marta Rafaela Blandón when they approached a bridge that was blocked by a…

A 64-year-old American was killed by assailants in Costa Rica who dragged him out of his vehicle and cut his throat, the police said Monday.

Kurt Heigis, who had been living in Costa Rica for eight months, was intercepted by four men Sunday night as he was returning to his home in San Carlos, a woman accompanying him told police.

His companion, who was identified by policy only by her first name Martha, said the men pulled Hergis out of his pick-up truck, hit him in the head,…

This interview with Ann Devert, whose son, Harry, has been missing in Mexico for two weeks now, is the sharpest expression I have seen in my years of advocating for families of the missing of why travel safety and security matter so much. Please watch and share.

The USCG is one of the most important and under-appreciated assets in the U.S. Don't believe me? Have a loved one go missing at sea outside U.S. borders and you'll quickly understand what I mean. We are so fortunate to have the rapid-response capabilities and infrastructure the USCG provides on a ridiculously thin budget.