Nepal - Aubrey Sacco, 23, Langtang, 20 April 2010 *Arrest*

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Walker said:
Interesting discussion on the Lonely Planet forum regarding Zis Souflatika and others missing in Nepal:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2215813&start=45

Shows article appearing a magazine called “Grazia:”

http://imgur.com/a/VOEPf

Not really sure what they mean by "gap year" killer, though. Maybe young Europeans are being encouraged by their colleges and universities to take a year away from their regular academic programs to visit underdeveloped countries alone?

In any case, seems unlikely that all of these individuals were harmed by the exact same person or group.
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"Gap year" is the year between high school and uni that many British kids traditionally take off to travel. Often they'll work for half a year to fund travel in the other half; alternatively, they do some volunteer/charity-type thing abroad. Africa and the Far East are the most common destinations -- both for their exoticness and their affordability.
 
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/07/02/2176297/graduates-go-and-have-an-epic.html

The Fulbright fellowship program, linked with the U.S. State Department, is a massive enterprise that's open to recent graduates, YOUNG professionals and others. If you're lucky enough to be graduating from a small private college, you might have a chance at a Watson Fellowship - a yearlong grant to pay for independent study and travel OUTSIDE the U.S. The Thomas J. Watson Foundation offers about 40 of these a year ...
If you're up for serious service, the Peace Corps typically seeks a 27-month commitment [to risking your life] abroad.
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Note: emphasis mine.



The US government with its auxiliary politically-motivated foundations is promoting this whole idea of the idealistic young American woman alone in the underdeveloped country as "pro-democracy" and "egalitarian" propaganda. In certain regions, this arrangement sets them up as targets of resentment.

Similarly, idealistic Christian missionaries were used by imperialist powers in the nineteenth & early twentieth century. Though usually associated with and protected by large religious organizations, they were also frequently targets of resentment.

No young Americans should be encouraged to visit these countries without full support both from the US and from the people in the area they will be traveling.

If the US State Department played any role in influencing AS to go over there alone, then the US State Department is responsible for bringing her back, or at least resolving the issue of what happened to her --- no matter how much it costs.


The State Dept should also reimburse Nepal for all of their efforts on AS’s behalf.

If one penny for AS's trips to Costa Rico, Thailand or this South Asia trip came from the US government or a foundation, the family may have strong grounds for a lawsuit. Even the European victims and their families could possibly sue, since the US State Dept is supposed to be a world leadership organization.

All victims and families of victims could join together in a class action lawsuit against the US State Department for taking advantage of young people, and failing to notify them of potential dangers, esp. the danger of being in an isolated situation.
 
Trekking in Nepal with Rob Steele
Trekking in Langtang Park Part 3

Trekking in Langtang Part Three. - YouTube

Uploaded by robthetrekker on May 13, 2010

Trekking in Langtang, Part Three - Lama Hotel to Langtang, Two short days trekking with an overnight stop at Ghoratabela (GT).

1:57 GT
2:42 Terrain becomes much more rugged, and challenging.
2:44 The helipad.
2:53 The checkpoint for tourists run by the Nepali Army.
 
An unconfirmed sighting of AS was reported on May 11, 2010 near Langtang Village. Not sure if this report has been completely discounted.

http://www.michellesigona.com/2010/05/international-missing-case/

Seems that it would be unlikely for AS to hike as far as Langtang Village, but yet be seen by no one since she had left Lama Hotel.


However, if she left via helicopter from Ghora Tabela (GT) to some other location, the lack of witnesses could be explained.

The first length of her planned journey home, her return flight from Katmandu to Sri Lanka, had been scheduled for May 15.
 
I just read the following story and thought of Aubrey Sacco:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17630703

It's about attacks on humans by tigers and leopards in Nepal. A quick check of Wikipedia says that tigers sometimes drag their kills into heavy vegetation to hide:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger#Hunting_and_diet

A check of Wikipedia on leopards says they sometimes drag their kills into trees to hide them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard#Hunting_and_diet

It seems like there were plenty of natural dangers for a single person trekking in Nepal.
 
GrainneDhu said:
I just read the following story and thought of Aubrey Sacco:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17630703

It's about attacks on humans by tigers and leopards in Nepal. A quick check of Wikipedia says that tigers sometimes drag their kills into heavy vegetation to hide:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger#Hunting_and_diet

A check of Wikipedia on leopards says they sometimes drag their kills into trees to hide them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard#Hunting_and_diet

It seems like there were plenty of natural dangers for a single person trekking in Nepal.
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Quote from the BBC link:
The Champawat Tigress is reported to have killed about 200 men and women before being driven out of Nepal into what is now the state of Uttarakhand in northern India.

She continued to kill there, and her total number of human victims was estimated at 430.
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430! victims. She was finally killed by a hunter in 1907.



Quote from the Wiki article on tigers:
After killing their prey, tigers sometimes drag their prey to conceal it in vegetative coverage, usually pulling it by grasping with their mouths at the site of the killing bite (on the throat in large prey, on the nape in smaller prey). This too can require great physical strength. In one case, after it had killed an adult gaur, [an animal similar to a buffalo] a tiger was observed to drag the massive carcass over a distance of 12 m (39 ft). When 13 men simultaneously tried to drag the same carcass later, they were unable to move it.
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Certainly, that AS fell victim to a predatory animal like a tiger is a distinct possibility.

However, one fact that might suggest otherwise is that according to media reports absolutely none of her belongings were found. No pack, no clothing, no jewelry, no bandanna, nothing.

[Note: In the video I posted, dated May 2010 which was shortly after AS disappeared, the people are wearing windbreakers and hoodies at Ghora Tabela (which is spelled many different ways)].

No coat, no sweatshirt, no hiking boots. Nothing at all was found, at least according to what facts have been released to the public.

An animal would not bother to cover its tracks, or hide or destroy evidence. If AS were attacked by a leopard or tiger on the trail, she would likely have been injured immediately, and bleeding profusely. Dogs could follow that trail of blood for more than a year after the attack, but yet the search dogs apparently came up with nothing.

Plus, a hungry animal probably wouldn't bother dragging the prey any huge distance from the killing location; maybe more like a few hundred yards maximum, certainly not miles.

AS may have seen an animal, and taken flight into the woods. She may then have become hopelessly lost, and died from exposure or other predators far from the trail. In this case, however, the dogs would still likely have been able to find her.

On another board, (sorry, lost link), a poster suggested that AS was the victim of tiger poachers, who may have feared that she would report their illegal activities to the authorities. However, why would poachers be attracted to a popular tourist trail right near an army base? Doesn't seem like it would be a convenient route to smuggle tiger skins. On the other hand, maybe criminals were somehow trying to take advantage of the fact that the army station may have been understaffed due to the riots in Katmandu. Still AS would not likely have seemed any threat.

The local police have blamed a "criminal group" for AS's disappearance. In some US national parks, criminal gangs have actually seized territory and set up marihuana farms. Gang members will shoot at unsuspecting hikers who happen along.

Is it at all possible that Nepal has the same problem? With the territory so vast, and the fresh water and wildlife so abundant, communities of squatters could easily sustain themselves far back in the woods. They could be criminal gangs, or cults, hippies or social dropouts or people just sick of Western civilization or any combination. If they live very far back, even the local people may not know of them. Maybe they use the helicopter to obtain whatever they need from the outside world. Or maybe they live in a location which can only be accessed by helicopter.

AS may have been intrigued by the thought of visiting a cult living in an abandoned village far in the Himalayan wilderness. Say she arranged to meet someone at the helipad who would give her a ride to this location. Once she arrived there, maybe she was unable to return, or the group brainwashed her into joining.
 
Walker said:
Certainly, that AS fell victim to a predatory animal like a tiger is a distinct possibility.

However, one fact that might suggest otherwise is that according to media reports absolutely none of her belongings were found. No pack, no clothing, no jewelry, no bandanna, nothing.

[Note: In the video I posted, dated May 2010 which was shortly after AS disappeared, the people are wearing windbreakers and hoodies at Ghora Tabela (which is spelled many different ways)].

No coat, no sweatshirt, no hiking boots. Nothing at all was found, at least according to what facts have been released to the public.

An animal would not bother to cover its tracks, or hide or destroy evidence. If AS were attacked by a leopard or tiger on the trail, she would likely have been injured immediately, and bleeding profusely. Dogs could follow that trail of blood for more than a year after the attack, but yet the search dogs apparently came up with nothing.

Plus, a hungry animal probably wouldn't bother dragging the prey any huge distance from the killing location; maybe more like a few hundred yards maximum, certainly not miles.
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Depends on the terrain, I think. If a leopard dragged her up into a tree overhanging a precipice, her belongings may not be easily accessible by humans.

It reminds me a bit of Azaria Chamberlain. The only thing found was a little knitted jacket that she was wearing the night she was killed by a dingo.

AS may have seen an animal, and taken flight into the woods. She may then have become hopelessly lost, and died from exposure or other predators far from the trail. In this case, however, the dogs would still likely have been able to find her.
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How long after she disappeared were the dogs brought in? Where were those dogs trained?

Terrain and familiarity can count when it comes to dogs, even highly qualified dog/handler teams.

On another board, (sorry, lost link), a poster suggested that AS was the victim of tiger poachers, who may have feared that she would report their illegal activities to the authorities. However, why would poachers be attracted to a popular tourist trail right near an army base? Doesn't seem like it would be a convenient route to smuggle tiger skins. On the other hand, maybe criminals were somehow trying to take advantage of the fact that the army station may have been understaffed due to the riots in Katmandu. Still AS would not likely have seemed any threat.

The local police have blamed a "criminal group" for AS's disappearance.
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That seems awfully convenient... for the police anyway.

I find it unlikely that tiger poachers transport their illegal hides, teeth, etc, in plain sight. If AS saw a poacher in a compromising position, it would almost have to be while skinning out a kill. A tourist trail seems like an unlikely place for something like that.

On the other hand, AS may have gotten lost, taken a turn away from the trail without realising it or saw something inviting off the trail and thought it wouldn't hurt to go a little way off the trail to see it. She may not have realised just how easy it is for someone in a new environment to get totally lost within 20 feet of a trail. Even someone experienced hiking in other environments can easily get lost when in a whole different environment.

AS may have been intrigued by the thought of visiting a cult living in an abandoned village far in the Himalayan wilderness. Say she arranged to meet someone at the helipad who would give her a ride to this location. Once she arrived there, maybe she was unable to return, or the group brainwashed her into joining.
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Maybe.

I don't recall the list of places she'd stayed at previously but I do recall my impression was that they were pretty mainstream. The sort of places that tourists go that let them say "when I stayed at an ashram..." without realising that said ashram is about as authentic an experience as staying at a local B&B would be in the US. It is authentic but not, perhaps, in the way they think.
 
GrainneDhu said:
How long after she disappeared were the dogs brought in? Where were those dogs trained?
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This quotation is from an article by David Lohr for AOL News dated May 20, 2010:

Barry [Sacco family spokesperson] said authorities have confirmed that Sacco made it to two different check-in stations along the Langtang Valley trail, but whatever happened to her after that remains a mystery.

"Not long after she set out on the trail, there was a strike with dangerous protests," Barry said. "There were no phones, no transportation and no way for her to get back in touch with her parents. We think she turned around and went back up to the trail, but nobody has heard from her. We don't know if she got lost or if somebody kidnapped her. There are really no answers."

When Sacco failed to make contact with her family by May 4, [they] contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nepal and requested assistance. In response, the embassy began working with the Nepal government, the tourism board and local police. Several search parties were dispatched to the area, but no sign of Sacco was found.

Concerns for her safety were heightened on May 15, when she failed to make her return flight back to the U.S. In response, her father, Paul Sacco, along with her brother Crofton and Barry's nephew, Dinesh Shakya, an expert on Langtang National Park, decided to fly to Nepal to help in the search.

"We feel we've done as much as we can from our little control center at our home, and now we feel it's important to be on the ground and actually be talking with the people who are coordinating the search," Paul Sacco said in a May 17 interview with CBS4denver.com.

According to Barry, the men landed in Nepal on Wednesday, where they were met by representatives of Nepal's U.S. Embassy.

"They called last night [May 16] to give us an update," Barry said. "They said the Nepalese Army has search crews with dogs out on the trails, and U.N. advisers have also joined that team. They are supposed to be getting helicopters up for the search today."

Barry said concerns over another possible strike have led the Saccos to contact outside resources. As a result, several search and recovery teams from all over the world are heading to Nepal to assist in the search.

"We want to be prepared, because this next strike is supposed to bring some heavy-duty clashes," Barry said.
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The search request was sent to the US embassy on May 4, and search parties were dispatched to the area.

On May 16, 2010, that is 24 days after AS's disappearance, the US Embassy reported to her father that the Nepali Army had search parties with dogs out on the trails.

Maybe we put too much faith in dogs. Certainly they have worked wonders in other missing person cases. Still they should have been able to find something after less than four weeks.

Haven't found any media mention of how the dogs were trained. Hopefully with so many hikers in Nepal, the government or private agencies provide quality training for the search and rescue dogs.
 
GrainneDhu said:
I don't recall the list of places she'd stayed at previously but I do recall my impression was that they were pretty mainstream. The sort of places that tourists go that let them say "when I stayed at an ashram..." without realising that said ashram is about as authentic an experience as staying at a local B&B would be in the US. It is authentic but not, perhaps, in the way they think.
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Nepal was not on her itinerary. At some point while staying in Mysore, she suddenly decided to go north, to Calcutta, then to Katmandu, which is popular with the Western college crowd.
In my opinion, she may have been disappointed with her teaching experience, and bored, and seeking other young people like herself to have some fun before going back home. Langtang is very popular with Coloradans, and maybe she hoped to find some old college pals there.

Although her destinations seem within the tourist mainstream, she could have fallen under the influence of someone who persuaded her to go north. She had an attraction to personalities held to be charismatic: she belonged to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living, and greatly admired Mooji.

Her determination to go alone may have had some purpose. Father’s quote re solo trekking:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiat...al-authorities-everest-region-remote-district


Paul Sacco says he was unaware of the disappearances till he came to Nepal to search for his missing daughter. "I did not want her to travel alone," he says dolefully. "I would have liked her to travel with a guide and we had many arguments over that. She said she was 23 and an adult. The journey was meant to be a voyage of self-discovery – that was her philosophy."
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Her repeated refusal of a guide therefore had nothing to do with being short of money. Maybe someone told her to meet them at some point along the trail, and to be alone.
 
GrainneDhu said:
Depends on the terrain, I think. If a leopard dragged her up into a tree overhanging a precipice, her belongings may not be easily accessible by humans.
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US tourists prefer bright colors, though. Someone would notice a pack, jacket, and other things in a tree. This trail is very popular in season. But, you are right, it's not impossible that her belongings are there but simply not found.
 
GrainneDhu said:
It reminds me a bit of Azaria Chamberlain. The only thing found was a little knitted jacket that she was wearing the night she was killed by a dingo.
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Azaria Chamberlain was a baby, though. The tragic story from Wiki article entitled "Azaria Chamberlain Disappearance":


Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (11 June 1980 in Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia – 17 August 1980) was an Australian baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980, on a family camping trip to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo, but Lindy was tried for murder and spent more than three years in prison. She was released when a piece of Azaria's clothing was found in a dingo lair. New inquests were opened. In 2012, 32 years after Azaria's death, the Chamberlains' version of events was confirmed by a coroner.
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GrainneDhu said:
On the other hand, AS may have gotten lost, taken a turn away from the trail without realising it or saw something inviting off the trail and thought it wouldn't hurt to go a little way off the trail to see it. She may not have realised just how easy it is for someone in a new environment to get totally lost within 20 feet of a trail. Even someone experienced hiking in other environments can easily get lost when in a whole different environment.
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ネパールトレッã‚*ング③・ラマホテル～ランタン谷(10.4.30) - YouTube

My browser’s translate program would not work properly, but this footage was apparently (my guess) taken along the Langtang trail, past Lama Hotel, where the forest thins out and tourists catch their first glimpse of the huge mountains. Dated the week after AS’s disappearance it should reflect similar conditions to what AS faced.

@ 0:27 we see mountains in the distance.

Through this section of forest, AS’s likely route, the trail clings to the Langtang river. To lose the trail, she would have to lose the river as well. Since it appears to be a loud rapids, she would have to venture far from the trail to get completely lost.

Since she spoke to her parents of her desire to investigate “sidetrails,” she may very well have gotten lost somewhere in this area. Or maybe she met up with someone with whom she had plans to take a sidetrail to visit some particular location of interest to her.
 
It is now 4 months since Zisimos Souflas was last heard from and his family are distraught. The press release and missing poster contains more information.

PRESS RELEASE

UK Citizen, Zisimos Souflas still missing in Nepal
A United Kingdom (UK) citizen ZISIMOS SOUFLAS has been missing in Nepal for 4 months. He was last heard of while travelling in Mount Everest region on April 24th 2012.
His disappearance only came to light just a few days after a young Belgium Debbie Mavea, 23, was found murdered in the Himalayan Mountains. There are at least 12 other missing foreign tourist cases in Nepal.
Zisimos was reported missing on May 15 by his family when he failed to get his return flight to Manchester Airport. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, through the British Embassy in Kathmandu, South Yorkshire Police Missing Persons Unit, Interpol, and the Nepali Police are all involved in the search for Zisimos and the authorities have not ruled out murder (The Sunday Times report).
Zisimos is a 27 year old UK national, born in Sheffield. He attended All Saints Roman Catholic High School in Sheffield, Sixth Form at Gordonstoun School and graduated from St Andrews University in Scotland 2010.
The primary purpose of his visit to Nepal was to attend the wedding of a school friend in Kathmandu, and to do some voluntary work, using his final few weeks in Nepal to visit Sagarmatha National Park and Everest Base Camp.
According to the press release issued from the British Embassy in Kathmandu Zisimos it is believed he entered Sagarmatha National Park , Khumbu Region on 23rd April 2012, from where he was planning to go to Everest Base Camp. Zisimos stayed at the Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar, where climbers start their walk to the Everest base camp. The graduate left belongings at Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar on April 24, promising to return for them in a few days. No one has heard from him since this time.
Local guides and Sherpa’s have searched all the paths he could have taken which are said to be well marked out. Weather conditions at the time were good so his disappearance remains a complete mystery.

Zisimos’s family and friends are very grateful to all the Nepali people who have given generously of their time and resources in the search for Zisimos. The search to date has not been successful and we are appealing more widely for information from anybody who may have seen him from April onwards to get in touch. Also if people could communicate about Zisimos with mountaineering friends who might have been there, or know other people who have gone trekking in the Himalayas, if they have seen or heard anything..
The new trekking season will soon be starting. We would like to ask anyone who is planning to go to Nepal if they would like to take some “missing” posters with them to help to extend and assist us with the search. If anyone would like to help with the search, please contact sophie_souflas@hotmail.com and / or see page “searching for Zisimos”

If you have any information, please contact:
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London, contact: Kerry Morris: tel: 0207 008 0227, email : kerry.morris@fco.gov.uk
OR
Missing Person: reference KX/2863/2012, South Yorkshire Police.


MIssing Poster

ZISIMOS SOUFLAS has been missing now since April 24th, the date he was last seen in Namche Bazar. He had stayed at the Hotel Tibet in Namche on the night of the 23rd, and left there on the 24th to go to Everest Base Camp. He has not been seen since.
Prior to this he left Kathmandu on the 18th April. He took a bus to Jiri, and walked from there to Namche, checking in to the Sagarmatha National Park on 23rd April.
If you have any information please contact:
Chakra Karki : tel: 9741070619 email: karki.ck@gmail.com
British Embassy: email: BEKathmandu@fco.gov.uk
Sophie Souflas: email : sophie_souflas@hotmail.com

There is a REWARD for information which leads to his safe return.
 
linarclud38 said:
It is now 4 months since Zisimos Souflas was last heard from and his family are distraught. The press release and missing poster contains more information.

PRESS RELEASE

UK Citizen, Zisimos Souflas still missing in Nepal
A United Kingdom (UK) citizen ZISIMOS SOUFLAS has been missing in Nepal for 4 months. He was last heard of while travelling in Mount Everest region on April 24th 2012.
His disappearance only came to light just a few days after a young Belgium Debbie Mavea, 23, was found murdered in the Himalayan Mountains. There are at least 12 other missing foreign tourist cases in Nepal.
Zisimos was reported missing on May 15 by his family when he failed to get his return flight to Manchester Airport. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, through the British Embassy in Kathmandu, South Yorkshire Police Missing Persons Unit, Interpol, and the Nepali Police are all involved in the search for Zisimos and the authorities have not ruled out murder (The Sunday Times report).
Zisimos is a 27 year old UK national, born in Sheffield. He attended All Saints Roman Catholic High School in Sheffield, Sixth Form at Gordonstoun School and graduated from St Andrews University in Scotland 2010.
The primary purpose of his visit to Nepal was to attend the wedding of a school friend in Kathmandu, and to do some voluntary work, using his final few weeks in Nepal to visit Sagarmatha National Park and Everest Base Camp.
According to the press release issued from the British Embassy in Kathmandu Zisimos it is believed he entered Sagarmatha National Park , Khumbu Region on 23rd April 2012, from where he was planning to go to Everest Base Camp. Zisimos stayed at the Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar, where climbers start their walk to the Everest base camp. The graduate left belongings at Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar on April 24, promising to return for them in a few days. No one has heard from him since this time.
Local guides and Sherpa’s have searched all the paths he could have taken which are said to be well marked out. Weather conditions at the time were good so his disappearance remains a complete mystery.

Zisimos’s family and friends are very grateful to all the Nepali people who have given generously of their time and resources in the search for Zisimos. The search to date has not been successful and we are appealing more widely for information from anybody who may have seen him from April onwards to get in touch. Also if people could communicate about Zisimos with mountaineering friends who might have been there, or know other people who have gone trekking in the Himalayas, if they have seen or heard anything..
The new trekking season will soon be starting. We would like to ask anyone who is planning to go to Nepal if they would like to take some “missing” posters with them to help to extend and assist us with the search. If anyone would like to help with the search, please contact sophie_souflas@hotmail.com and / or see page “searching for Zisimos”

If you have any information, please contact:
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London, contact: Kerry Morris: tel: 0207 008 0227, email : kerry.morris@fco.gov.uk
OR
Missing Person: reference KX/2863/2012, South Yorkshire Police.


MIssing Poster

ZISIMOS SOUFLAS has been missing now since April 24th, the date he was last seen in Namche Bazar. He had stayed at the Hotel Tibet in Namche on the night of the 23rd, and left there on the 24th to go to Everest Base Camp. He has not been seen since.
Prior to this he left Kathmandu on the 18th April. He took a bus to Jiri, and walked from there to Namche, checking in to the Sagarmatha National Park on 23rd April.
If you have any information please contact:
Chakra Karki : tel: 9741070619 email: karki.ck@gmail.com
British Embassy: email: BEKathmandu@fco.gov.uk
Sophie Souflas: email : sophie_souflas@hotmail.com

There is a REWARD for information which leads to his safe return.
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The above post doesn't mention search dogs. Hopefully they have been tried. Sounds as though Souflas may not have even made it to the trail. Strange that the calendar dates are so close to the same calendar dates that AS disappeared.

Is it possible that the volunteer work is misunderstood by the local people as being politically motivated? AS, Malveau, and Souflas all did some type of volunteering. The economy is down in the US and Europe, and young people need professional experience to develop the qualifications for a decent job at home. Volunteer work may seem to them as the ideal way to combine interesting travel, credential-building and actually helping needy students at the same time. The state of Nepal is however in political turmoil, and any sort of foreign intervention is likely to be regarded with mistrust.

Malveau's murder was determined to have been motivated by neither rape nor robbery.

Article: "Nepal Becoming a Bermuda Triangle for Tourists?"

http://articles.timesofindia.indiat...al-authorities-everest-region-remote-district

German Sabine Gruneklee and Celine Henry from France went missing after they entered the Nagarjuna forest on the outskirts of Kathmandu valley on separate days in 2005. Although Gruneklee's body was found a year later, the 32-year-old French volunteer, who closely resembled Arundhati Roy, is still listed as missing.
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Ms. Roy is of both Indian and Syrian descent. She is very outspoken on a large number of issues, but the most pertinent issue here would be the Maoist movement, which she supports.

Quote from Wiki article on Arundhati Roy:

Roy has criticised Government's armed actions against the Naxalite-Maoist insurgents in India, calling it "war on the poorest people in the country". According to her, the Government has "abdicated its responsibility to the people"[53] and launched the offensive against Naxals to aid the corporations with whom it has signed Memorandums of Understanding.[54] While she has received support from various quarters for her views,[55] Roy's description of the Maoists as "Gandhians" raised a controversy.[56][57] In other statements, she has described Naxalites as "patriot of a kind"[58] who are "fighting to implement the Constitution, (while) the government is vandalising it".[53] Many commentators have hypothesized that Roy does not hold sympathy for the victims of Maoist terrorism[59][60] and have called her a "Maoist sympathiser."
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The Times of India probably did not mean to imply that Ms. Henry came to harm just because she looked like Ms. Roy, or that this factor played any role in her disappearance. However, if she had even in the slightest way seemed to support a certain political perspective, and additionally strongly resembled a political figure resented by certain groups, could these circumstances have triggered a crime against her?
 
There's a new [August 17] update [ www.abreysacco.com ] on the search efforts page:

snipped...A week ago the Nepal government announced, in another unusual move, that all solo trekking was banned. Although many are skeptical of the government's intentions and their ability to exercise quality control over required guides, which are rumored to also be responsible for frequent attacks on their female clients, we cannot help but think this new rule was in part Aubrey-driven and at least a step in the right direction.

LOTS more to read here: http://aubreysacco.com/MakeLove2Life/Search_Update.html
 
linarclud38 said:
According to the press release issued from the British Embassy in Kathmandu Zisimos it is believed he entered Sagarmatha National Park , Khumbu Region on 23rd April 2012, from where he was planning to go to Everest Base Camp. Zisimos stayed at the Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar, where climbers start their walk to the Everest base camp. The graduate left belongings at Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar on April 24, promising to return for them in a few days. No one has heard from him since this time.
Local guides and Sherpa’s have searched all the paths he could have taken which are said to be well marked out. Weather conditions at the time were good so his disappearance remains a complete mystery.
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http://wikitravel.org/en/Namche_Bazaar

The village is located on crescent shaped mountain slopes that offer stunning views of the mountains across the valley. It is a grueling 3 to 4 hour climb up from the river to Namche, and at 3,500 meters, it is possible to suffer altitude sickness here. Therefore, it is advisable to spend at least two nights in the village to acclimatize.
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Souflas may have suffered altitude sickness, which may have impaired his judgment, leading him far away from the trail.
 
According to the press release issued from the British Embassy in Kathmandu Zisimos it is believed he entered Sagarmatha National Park , Khumbu Region on 23rd April 2012, from where he was planning to go to Everest Base Camp. Zisimos stayed at the Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar, where climbers start their walk to the Everest base camp. The graduate left belongings at Hotel Tibet in Namche Bazaar on April 24, promising to return for them in a few days.
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Maybe he realized that he had altitude sickness, and therefore decided to descend. He left belongings to minimize weight. He should have sought assistance immediately.
 
tarabull said:
There's a new [August 17] update [ www.abreysacco.com ] on the search efforts page:

snipped...A week ago the Nepal government announced, in another unusual move, that all solo trekking was banned. Although many are skeptical of the government's intentions and their ability to exercise quality control over required guides, which are rumored to also be responsible for frequent attacks on their female clients, we cannot help but think this new rule was in part Aubrey-driven and at least a step in the right direction.

LOTS more to read here: http://aubreysacco.com/MakeLove2Life/Search_Update.html
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BBM

Guides rumored to be responsible of attacks? Was this mentioned before or have I been missing it? I read all posts and articles on this thread, but I might have skipped that by mistake.

Is there any other country (where trekking is popular) where so many tourists went missing? While natural elements/animals or getting lost might be responsible for some of the disappearances, I feel it can't be the reason for all the missing people in Nepal.
 
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