PERU - Carla Valpeoz, 35, traveler from Michigan, Pariwana Hostel, Cusco, 11 Dec 2018 *blind*

[BetteDavisEyes]

Family seeks help to find blind Detroiter missing in Peru

Brother says no one has the slightest clue of what happened to her, "It's like she evaporated" and it's time for their family to assist in the search.

 

[Mercedes]

This article reports the same information as the article linked just above however providing additional details.

Turista invidente de EE. UU. habría ingresado a Písac

>> Translated using Google Translate <<

Blind tourist from the USA would have entered Písac

Police search Carla López Valpeoz in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Agents from different police units are looking in the Sacred Valley of the Incas for the American blind tourist Carla Lopez Valpeoz (35), who would have entered the Archaeological Park of Pisac, reported today the chief of the Police Region of Cusco, Colonel Manuel Mar Pérez.

He revealed that the tourist - reported missing on the 15th of this month - visited the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, in the afternoon he returned to the city of Cusco, where he spent the night in the Pariwana Hostel.

The next day, at 8:45, he boarded a taxi driven by Vladimir Vargas (40), who took her to the informal terminals on Puputi Street to go to the Písac Archaeological Park, he explained to Agencia Andina .

According to the driver, the visitor would have approached a white minivan that would take her to tour the Sacred Valley of the Incas and her journey would begin in Pisac, where she would have entered; afterwards, no more was heard of her.

After the report of the disappearance, the search for information, testimonies and traces was developed with some achievement, because there are videos of the departure of the woman from the lodge, the official said.

The search efforts in the Sacred Valley of the Incas involved rescuers, members of the elite group Kallpa, members dedicated to the care of tourists and agents of the Division of Criminal Investigation (Divincri).

Mar Pérez pointed out that photographs of the tourist have been disseminated in the city of Cusco and neighboring regions, such as Puno, Apurímac, Arequipa and Madre de Dios, have been alerted.

To these search actions was added today the father of the tourist, Carlos López Valpeoz, to whom the authority informed him that according to the migratory registry Carla did not leave Cusco, neither by air nor by land.

Carla is of slim build, measures 1.65, speaks Spanish and English. She has brown hair up to her shoulders, with blonde Californian fuses; fair brunette complexion, straight nose, pronounced front teeth.

He used a cane to get around and on the day of his disappearance he wore beige cloth pants, polo shirt and green sweater, and brown boots; He carried a small green backpack.

Is Carla a he or a she? Must be the translation.

 

[squid]

Is Carla a he or a she? Must be the translation.

She's a she. It is just the translation!

 

[JerseyGirl]

She was last seen in Písac, a village in Peru, where footage was found of her at the entrance of an archaeological park, Carlos Valpeoz said.

The video, obtained by the family through Písac police from a clothing store, shows her walking with her green backpack past a drug store on Bolognesi and Callo Street in Písac. The video is dated Dec. 12 at 9:33 a.m., her last known sighting.

The video was recorded by Valpeoz's father, who said he "has no intention of leaving (Peru) without Carla."

Video below:
Last known sighting of missing Detroiter
The last sighting of Carla Valpeoz passing by a drug store at 9:33 a.m. on Dec. 12 in the village of Písac.

 

[squid]

Carla Valpeoz: padre de turista solicita intensificar búsqueda de su hija
>>translated using Google Translate<<

Carlos Valpeoz , asked Calca prosecutor to take the case of the missing girl in Pisac , investigate from a criminal investigation point of view

The father of the American tourist Carla Valpeoz , disappeared for almost a month in Cusco, asked the authorities of the Public Ministry of the province of Calca , to investigate the case of his daughter "from a criminal investigation point of view ".

Carlos Valpeóz , who coordinates the search actions of his daughter, said he filed the request earlier this year, but the prosecutor in charge of the case, said that there is no indication to accept the request.

According to Mr. Valpeoz, the fact that his daughter has been missing for 26 days and there are no traces of her in the place of his disappearance, could be a sufficient indication to suspect that her daughter was the victim of a crime .

"I want the case to be officially opened as a criminal investigation, if it is determined that my Carlita, is somewhere where the investigators require the prosecutor to rescue her and he has not fulfilled his responsibilities, how we are going to rescue my daughter" , He said.

Between sobs, the father of the North American asked people who have information about the whereabouts of the young woman, provide the necessary information to find it as soon as possible.

 

[squid]

Cusco: padre de Carla Valpeoz solicita intensificar búsqueda de su hija
>>translated using Google Translate<<

According to the latest information, it is presumed that the foreign citizen would be in Calca, so the police went to that place to find it.

For his part, the father of Valpeoz also reported receiving mistreatment by local authorities.

"On January 4, I went to Calca to be sure that the prosecutor was going to provide all the necessary help to the investigators so that they could continue with their work from a criminal investigation point of view. The prosecutor of Calca, Dr. Erick Vera, practically ignored me and treated my Carlita's case without respect, saying that there is no criminal evidence and that probably my Carlita is guilty of this situation, "he said

 

[squid]

Cusco: 15 turistas fueron denunciados como desaparecidos durante el 2018 (VIDEO) | Diario Correo
>>translated using Google Translate<<

A total of 15 tourists were reported missing in Cusco during 2018, this alarming figure was corroborated by Colonel PNP Manuel Mar, chief of the Police Region of Cusco.

The police commander said that of these 15 cases the authorities managed to find 13 of the missing, the missing being the tourists Nathaly Salazar and Carla Valpeoz.
He also mentioned that of all the cases, 12 had to do with the participation of visitors in rituals and ceremonies offered in the so-called mystic tourism.

"We find these tourists after three, four, five days of searching, we generally find them in poor condition after participating in ceremonies with ayahuasca (...), the Dircetur and the municipalities are responsible for regularizing and certifying these places but they do not, until the informality continues in the tourism sector we will continue to have disappeared, "he said .

Taking advantage of the fact that municipal and regional authorities are taking office during these days, Colonel PNP Manuel Mar took the opportunity to call them and ask them to formalize the companies that exist in their jurisdictions.

"This issue damages the image of Cusco, as long as these services are not regularized, we will continue to lament this type of crime. Now that the authorities are swearing it would be good to pronounce on these cases and to regulate these activities in their localities," he said .

Just the Sacred Valley of the Incas would be the place where these places of healing and mystic tourism abound, whose owners offer trips of experience and pleasure to visitors, who hire their services without knowing that they do not have the permits or licenses to operate.

On the cases of the Spanish Nathaly Salazar and Carla Valpeoz, she cited that they took these services of informal tourism and therefore now there is no one to answer for their losses, cited that as they hundreds of people are scammed daily in all of Cusco

FACT:
-The ayahuasca is a traditional drink of the Amazonian and Andean peoples, has a millenarian and cultural origin, however now it is offered by false shamans and healers, who put visitors at risk by giving them drink badly prepared potions.

 

[StarEyes]

I really hope they locate her. I’m blind also, but I’d not have the nerve to be as vivaciously adventurous as Carla. She’s a true inspiration to me. As she was traveling alone, she was teaching the world that disabled people aren’t very different from abled. We just have to adapt a bit differently. I admire that. I also can’t stop thinking of how terrifying it would be to be all alone that day in another country and run into someone nefarious or have a serious medical problem/accident - not being able to see well. It hits close to home. I’m praying that she’s found soon, and, if not alive, then I hope whatever happened to her was quickly over. All of this is jmo, of course.

 

[squid]

Pobladores se sumarán a búsqueda de turista invidente de EE. UU.
>>translated using Google Translate<<

Residents will join US search for blind tourist

From very early, inhabitants of the town of Quello Quello, of the district of Pisac, in the province of Calca, will look for tomorrow the American tourist blind Carla Valpeoz (35), reported missing since December 15 in Cusco.

In a statement, the mayor of Quello Quello, Ronald Ccana Sotalero, confirmed the day, "in order to make an exhaustive search for the missing girl."

Specifies that the concentration will be at 7:00 in the Plaza Constitución, in front of the municipal palace. "We are asking the population to stand in solidarity with this case [...] and be able to clean up our image, since we are immersed in the opinions of the press at the national level."

 

[mickey2942]

I am an advocate for blind people traveling, and having the same experiences as everyone else.

In the 1980's, I traveled extensively with friends in Mexico and Central America, on trains, buses, walking, it was a great time.

That being said, I don't think that this is the time for women to travel abroad alone, especially to Mexico, South and Central America sadly, blind or sighted. And I am sad to see that everything is changing.

 

[GraceG]

I am an advocate for blind people traveling, and having the same experiences as everyone else.

In the 1980's, I traveled extensively with friends in Mexico and Central America, on trains, buses, walking, it was a great time.

That being said, I don't think that this is the time for women to travel abroad alone, especially to Mexico, South and Central America sadly, blind or sighted. And I am sad to see that everything is changing.

Unfortunately, Central and South America have become very unsafe to visit, for anyone. My husband's company who has extensive manufacturing in those areas will not send non-Hispanic, Spanish Speaking engineers to their facilities, the risk of kidnapping is too great.

 

[squid]

Desaparecida en Cusco: más de mil pobladores de Pisac se sumaron a la búsqueda de Carla Valpeoz
>>translated using Google Translate<<

Disappeared in Cusco: more than a thousand residents of Pisac joined the search for Carla Valpeoz

People departed early from the main square and toured the entire territory of the district to find the missing foreigner for 28 days.

More than a thousand residents of the district of Pisac, joined today the search actions of the American tourist Carla Valpeoz , who remains missing in the province of Calca, in Cusco , for 28 days.

Distributed in brigades , the inhabitants left from early morning in the direction of the peasant communities, hills and areas of difficult access in order to find some trace of the young foreigner .

Federico Zamalloa Castro , mayor of the district of Pisac , said that farmers, ranchers, artisans and merchants, added to the work carried out by the police and prosecutor "we want to comb the entire area and hopefully we can find something," he said.

At the same time it was indicated that the District Municipality of Pisac , programmed operations in commercial establishments where " mystical tourism" is offered , which apparently would surpass 50 in this district alone.

Recall that police officers from Cusco, Arequipa and Lima, perform the search actions since the disappearance of the girl, they work in coordination with Carlos Valpeoz, father of the foreigner.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

“FIND CARLA” on Facebook:

FIND CARLA

 

[StarEyes]

I am an advocate for blind people traveling, and having the same experiences as everyone else.

In the 1980's, I traveled extensively with friends in Mexico and Central America, on trains, buses, walking, it was a great time.

That being said, I don't think that this is the time for women to travel abroad alone, especially to Mexico, South and Central America sadly, blind or sighted. And I am sad to see that everything is changing.

I am blind. I have some partial vision I’ve learned to use to its max. I think it’s likely not far from what Carla’s vision is. It’s intimidating and scary to travel alone unable to see, but it truly IS very freeing to do so. Losing vision leads to loss of some independence. Gaining some freedom back is incredibly exhilarating. I can see where she has an adventurous spirit. We (blind) have to do things alone so often, we can become a little jaded. Being super independent, we can put ourselves in questionable circumstances. I feel like that may have led Carla to getting into a potentially bad situation. Something I lean heavily on is that she had an accident and a nefarious person(s) took advantage of that. Or, she had an accident that nobody noticed and she’s perished there. (For instance, like when someone lodges into crevasses hiking. They’re sometimes not found for a long time.) I pray hard daily that she’s somehow alive and will be found/rescued, perhaps kidnapped.
The above is ALL based on my and my blind friends’ experiences and MOO.

 

[Hippononymous]

I am blind. I have some partial vision I’ve learned to use to its max. I think it’s likely not far from what Carla’s vision is. It’s intimidating and scary to travel alone unable to see, but it truly IS very freeing to do so. Losing vision leads to loss of some independence. Gaining some freedom back is incredibly exhilarating. I can see where she has an adventurous spirit. We (blind) have to do things alone so often, we can become a little jaded. Being super independent, we can put ourselves in questionable circumstances. I feel like that may have led Carla to getting into a potentially bad situation. Something I lean heavily on is that she had an accident and a nefarious person(s) took advantage of that. Or, she had an accident that nobody noticed and she’s perished there. (For instance, like when someone lodges into crevasses hiking. They’re sometimes not found for a long time.) I pray hard daily that she’s somehow alive and will be found/rescued, perhaps kidnapped.
The above is ALL based on my and my blind friends’ experiences and MOO.

Totally off topic, but what enables you to use this forum as a blind person? I'm completely ignorant about adaptive devices for things like this!

 

[StarEyes]

Totally off topic, but what enables you to use this forum as a blind person? I'm completely ignorant about adaptive devices for things like this!

I am legally well beyond blind, with roughly partial vision. I am losing more and more. I use an iPhone. The accessibility features are amazing. I’m able to make the screen really large print. I adjust the screen brightness, sometimes reversing the black on white. I have a few other vision features adjusted as well. I hold my phone almost up to my nose. If it’s a bad migraine day, I can use the voiceover feature to read it to me.

 

[mickey2942]

I am legally well beyond blind, with roughly partial vision. I am losing more and more. I use an iPhone. The accessibility features are amazing. I’m able to make the screen really large print. I adjust the screen brightness, sometimes reversing the black on white. I have a few other vision features adjusted as well. I hold my phone almost up to my nose. If it’s a bad migraine day, I can use the voiceover feature to read it to me.

I am an orientation and mobility specialist, TVI, my SO is blind...we go on lots of trips...so, I am all for blind folks being independent!

It makes me sad about Carla, and so close to when the other gal was killed in Costa Rica. I don't think that this has really anything to do with visual impairment, just the increase in violence in the world. Sadly.

 

[Hippononymous]

I am legally well beyond blind, with roughly partial vision. I am losing more and more. I use an iPhone. The accessibility features are amazing. I’m able to make the screen really large print. I adjust the screen brightness, sometimes reversing the black on white. I have a few other vision features adjusted as well. I hold my phone almost up to my nose. If it’s a bad migraine day, I can use the voiceover feature to read it to me.

Thank you for answering and I am sorry you are losing your vision.

 

[crhedBngr]

I am impressed by those who are living life in spite of severe sight loss. I'm not so sure I'd be as strong as the rest of you!

Having said that, praying Carla is found unharmed and quickly.

 

[margarita25]

Carla sounds like such amazing woman and I’m so worried about what may have happened to her. Of course we want everyone found here, but this is one case that especially troubles me.

@StarEyes and @mickey2942, thank you for sharing with us here. I’m so impressed with Carla on so many levels, and all of those who rise above their disabilities.

Was she known to go hiking? Sorry if missed this. Would she have gone hiking alone down where she could have fallen? Idk...

This mystery tourism stuff is interesting.

It hurts to think someone may have taken advantage of and harmed a poor blind woman.

She’s been gone a long time