Ecuador - August Reiger, 18, US student, Banos, 16 June 2013

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wfgodot said:
If he disappeared voluntarily - which I hope is the case - why would he choose to do so when his family was, as his father said, "five or 10 minutes" behind him - and thus could almost immediately begin a search? There must have been many, better, chances to slip away.
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That and, why would such a great kid put his family through this? I still so hope he did. He has so much ahead of him!!
 
http://www.cotopaxinoticias.com/seccion.aspx?sid=17&nid=12407

Thought I should translate as Spanish is my main language.

The GOE and the Air-Police Join In The Search of August Reiger

The Committee of Emergency Operations (COE) from Baños proposed suspending the search of the American Tourist August Reiger, but the Governor of Tungurahua decided to upheld it. It's been four days in the search for the youngster, of 18 years of age, who got lost on Sunday, June 16th on the trails of the La Cruz overlook after walking ahead of his parents during a hike.

This Wednesday, 12 more members of the GOE and the Helicopter of the Air-Police of Pastaza joined the search led by 20 iwiass Soldiers (from the Shell Parrish, Province of Pastaza), 10 volunteers from the Red Cross, 14 Firefighters (between personnel from Baños and palate), specialists from the Special Operations Group (GOE), uniformed from the National Police, land owners from Santa Rosa of Runtún and 2 trained dogs.

For the rescuers, it is a mystery what has occurred, as the La Cuz path is not far from the city.

Nevertheless, there has been two more tourists lost during the course of this year, due to not taking necessary precautions, but this happened in a place further away from the city. It was back in March: Americans Airn Nangran, 27 years old, and Patrick Say, 24, veered too far from the trail to take better pictures of the Tungurahua Volcano and became lost, one of them almost lost his life.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345227/August-Reiger-missing-Valedictorian-18-vanishes-hike-Ecuador.html

"His father Chris said his son was 'only a few minutes ahead of us in the trail' and he hoped to see him at a popular landmark.

He believes his son could have fallen off a steep ledge of the mountain, in an area he described as an Ecuadorean version of Aspen, Colorado.

'We assumed that he'd be sitting there waiting for us,' he told News9.

'In fact, the second son had gotten there before us, and he was sitting there waiting … but he hadn't seen his brother.'"



This makes me think he fell off the side of the cliff. I hope they find him.
 
Find August fb
https://www.facebook.com/bringaugusthome?hc_location=stream

Here is another fb but primarily in Spanish. One of the admins is a former exchange student from Ecuador who knows August.

https://www.facebook.com/FindAugustReiger

If he is voluntarily absent, I wonder if he would have cut his hair. It's such a distinguishing part of his appearance. I would think most recent HS graduates wouldn't be mature enough to successfully disappear in a foreign country but he may be an exception. From what I've read and heard about him, he doesn't seem be the type to do that though. I just hope that he is found soon. His friends and family are desperately looking for information and must be feeling so distraught.
 
It is so sad that he is missing. I have to travel to OKC in July for a few months; hope he is found by then.

Just speculating, I think falling from a cliff is at the top of my chart now as to the reason he is missing. Behind that is the kidnapping theory. After reviewing his wonderful photos, I agree that he could have been mistaken for a female (from the distance).

I can't imagine he would runaway due to his receipt of the scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.

My hopes are the same as some of yours - that he just wanted a little break from everyone before college begins.

Prayers for August and the family.
 
If his parents were only a few minutes behind him, wouldn't they have heard something? I imagine that somebody would scream if they were falling off a cliff. Wouldn't there be some sounds in a kidnapping?
 
Janeumayer said:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...g-Valedictorian-18-vanishes-hike-Ecuador.html

"His father Chris said his son was 'only a few minutes ahead of us in the trail' and he hoped to see him at a popular landmark.

He believes his son could have fallen off a steep ledge of the mountain, in an area he described as an Ecuadorean version of Aspen, Colorado.

'We assumed that he'd be sitting there waiting for us,' he told News9.

'In fact, the second son had gotten there before us, and he was sitting there waiting … but he hadn't seen his brother.'"



This makes me think he fell off the side of the cliff. I hope they find him.
Click to expand...

Is there a cliff nearby where they were hiking? Surely they would be searching the bottom of it to rule that out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
dillysmom11 said:
That and, why would such a great kid put his family through this? I still so hope he did. He has so much ahead of him!!
Click to expand...


Maybe he is risk taker. He is very intelligent, speaks fluent Spanish and probably longs for solitude, world travel and adventure. It never makes sense why people choose to disappear and put others through agony, but it happens all the time. People are selfish.
 
Thank you janeumayer! Yes definitely very steep. I strongly suspect he fell down there somewhere. Was it raining by any chance? Not neccessarily during the hike but previously?
 
Seems its just one way up, one way down. Don't understand why they would think he was kidnapped unless there is a road behind the building at the top where the cross is? Ill try Google Earth to check.

ETA Everything is blurry on Google Earth and Maps.
 
Elainera said:
Thank you janeumayer! Yes definitely very steep. I strongly suspect he fell down there somewhere. Was it raining by any chance? Not neccessarily during the hike but previously?
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Yes, janeumayer's videos really gives one a better perspective of the hiking conditions. My first thought is that he fell into dense shrubs. Sending up prayers for August and his family.
 
Just based on what we know so far, it seems kidnapping is far-fetched. That's assuming the authorities don't know something/haven't found anything that they aren't sharing with the general public. Always a possibility.

I tend to think August walked away. I can't help but think he'd have been found by now if he fell off a cliff, but who knows? I can understand why local LE would downplay the danger posed by the cliffs on that hiking trail- don't want to scare off tourists, after all- but his father seems to agree with the local authorities. He has said multiple times that there was no danger. The hiking trail was safe. Certainly doesn't rule out the possibility of an accident, but as of now, I suspect he walked away.
 
if he fell off the cliff, wouldn't he have screamed and someone heard it?
 
lillygator said:
if he fell off the cliff, wouldn't he have screamed and someone heard it?
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That's what I was thinking but maybe he was concentrating on trying to stop the fall or was in the bushes and it muffled any sounds he made. I'm assuming he hit his head and may have been unconscious after landing. If he stood near the edge and slipped, I wonder if the foliage would have been flattened. I haven't heard anything about dogs alerting to an area to search.

The whole situation is very confusing. How would kidnappers have gotten him off the mountain? It looks like the path is the only way up and down. If he left on his own, wouldn't he have just kept on walking back to town and then where would he go?
 
lucky181 said:
That's what I was thinking but maybe he was concentrating on trying to stop the fall or was in the bushes and it muffled any sounds he made. I'm assuming he hit his head and may have been unconscious after landing. If he stood near the edge and slipped, I wonder if the foliage would have been flattened. I haven't heard anything about dogs alerting to an area to search.

The whole situation is very confusing. How would kidnappers have gotten him off the mountain? It looks like the path is the only way up and down. If he left on his own, wouldn't he have just kept on walking back to town and then where would he go?
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bbm - as far as I understand it the path goes up one side of the mountain and down the other, circling back into the village, like a half circle. At the top is the cross where they were supposed to meet up with him. Someone could have come up from the other side and taken him down the same way, out of sight for anyone coming up the other side behind him. If they knocked him out or used chloroform or something to silence him, and had a vehicle waiting somewhere further down I can imagine a kidnapping taking place.

However I still believe he is lying in the thick brush somewhere.
 
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