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

[missgulfsouth]

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?

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.

Me too. We never know why people do the things that they do. We look at it from outward appearances, a kid who had his whole life ahead of him, looking forward to college....but we don't know what goes on inside of a person. My sisters boyfriend got a full scholarship to the college of his dreams and then took his life just weeks before his high school graduation.

 

[necco]

Nothing about this screams walkaway to me. Surely there would have been a better time. If he had disappeared on his last day there, like the Indian girl in the UK, then maybe I'd buy it in this situation. I think he's probably still on that mountain somewhere. Although, I cannot completely rule out foul play of some sort.

 

[missgulfsouth]

How long had the family been there? Perhaps he befriended someone who is letting him hide out.

 

[Janeumayer]

How long had the family been there? Perhaps he befriended someone who is letting him hide out.

They had been there for a week. They were staying for 2 weeks total.

 

[Janeumayer]

New article.

"August, an avid Spanish speaker with a deep interest in indigenous cultures, had been looking forward to the Ecuador trip. The family had been scheduled to leave for a three-day tour in remote jungle areas on Monday.

But instead, they've been traveling to local villages with police, posting pictures of their son and asking for help finding him.

It's out of the question that August would have wandered off or could be trying not to be found, the teen's father says.

"I feel that he's particularly mature for his age. He's not the kind of kid that does crazy stuff," Chris Reiger said.

August had just graduated from the Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City, said Shannon Schmoyer, Reiger's father's cousin. The 18-year-old had asked his parents for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country as a graduation present, she said."

http://www.okcfox.com/story/22657382/ecuadorian-officials-no-leads-on-missing-oklahoma-city-valedictorian

 

[Janeumayer]

http://www.cotopaxinoticias.com/seccion.aspx?sid=17&nid=12437

"It's hard for him to be missing in this place. We have looked through all the trails. 28 years ago a tourist got lost, but was immediately found. Maybe he fell by the gorges in El Salado which are hard to access", said Miguel Guerrero, of 69 years, citizen of Santa Rosa de Runtún."......

"Ángel Barriga, Chief of the Baños Fire Department, informed us that there has been 3 rescued tourists so far this year. "Is very strange what has happened (with August Reiger). The other missing happened in places less accessible and in the Pastaza River, which is our biggest problem. We have now invested more time, personnel and resources and we have not been able to locate the tourist."

 

[Janeumayer]

http://www.ecuadorinmediato.com/index.php?module=Noticias&func=news_user_view&id=199445&umt=sin_resultados_busqueda_turista_estadounidense_que_se_perdio_en_banos

The Search will Continue Through the Weekend

"The main objective is to cover the whole zone, a radius of 10 kilometers, if possible..."

"We have to discard every possibility,we have shown the country, the world that the life of every tourist, of every citizen is important", indicated José Luis Freire, Mayor of Baños."

 

[lucky181]

New article.

It's out of the question that August would have wandered off or could be trying not to be found, the teen's father says.

"I feel that he's particularly mature for his age. He's not the kind of kid that does crazy stuff," Chris Reiger said.

The 18-year-old had asked his parents for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country as a graduation present, she said."

http://www.okcfox.com/story/22657382/ecuadorian-officials-no-leads-on-missing-oklahoma-city-valedictorian

IMO, his maturity would be a reason that he could walk away in a foreign country. Now that we know he specifically asked for a trip to a Spanish speaking country, it seems a bit more suspect to me. I wonder if his scholarship could have been held for a year if he wanted to take a gap year. I really hope he did just walk away.

 

[Elainera]

What if he was planning to meet someone up there and that's why he went ahead?

 

[necco]

IMO, his maturity would be a reason that he could walk away in a foreign country. Now that we know he specifically asked for a trip to a Spanish speaking country, it seems a bit more suspect to me. I wonder if his scholarship could have been held for a year if he wanted to take a gap year. I really hope he did just walk away.

Looking at the school he just graduated, it is not surprising he wanted to go to a Spanish speaking country. It is a competitive public school with two college preparatory tracts, one in the arts and one in international studies. It seems he was on the international tract. Since he studied Spanish, it makes sense he would want to go someplace where it was spoken. It seems he didn't necessarily even request Ecuador, just "a Spanish speaking country."

I don't think he walked away. Although, I hope you're right because that would be the best option.

Here's the About page for his school:
http://okcps.classenmh.schooldesk.net/Academics/AboutUs/tabid/2495/Default.aspx

 

[Chickadee117]

I just saw this story on CNN TV, so I came here to find out more. After reading all the posts and watching the video of the trail where AR went missing, I'm inclined to believe he fell. The cliff-sides appear to be covered with heavy brush and that is why it is so difficult to find him.

 

[OldSteve]

Oklahoma's Congressional delegation is stepping up to help in the search of an Oklahoma City teenager missing in Ecuador. -
http://www.news9.com/story/22659021...monitoring-case-of-missing-okla-valedictorian

"The FBI can't and won't get involved unless there's evidence of a crime," Reiger said. "[Local authorities] are not saying it's a kidnapping, but they're not saying it's not."


Too bad since I would think they (FBI) might have some kind of equipment to better find him, no?

 

[JeannaT]

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?

I agree. If I were slipping down a mountain trail, I don't think I'd scream. I'd be completely focused on stopping my fall. Also, I can't imagine many worse places to attempt to kidnap a healthy adult male - getting him off the mountain would be extremely difficult.

 

[WI1987]

My guess is that he fell down a ravine.

Ecuador is pretty safe outside of the major cities compared to most Latin American countries. Were not talking about Mexico or El Salvador here. I highly doubt he was the victim of a crime.

They should have just went to Puerto Rico ... explore a Spanish speaking part of our own nation *sighs*

 

[necco]

My guess is that he fell down a ravine.

Ecuador is pretty safe outside of the major cities compared to most Latin American countries. Were not talking about Mexico or El Salvador here. I highly doubt he was the victim of a crime.

They should have just went to Puerto Rico ... explore a Spanish speaking part of our own nation *sighs*

There are places to fall in Puerto Rico as well. For that matter, he could have fallen hiking in Colorado or Washington state. Truth be told, many people (myself included) think that international travel is worth the tiny risk it offers. I would rather die living the way I want to live than live long without ever truly living. At least, if he did fall and is gone, he got to fulfill a dream of traveling abroad before he died.

 

[lucky181]

From OldSteve's link:
http://www.news9.com/story/22659021...monitoring-case-of-missing-okla-valedictorian

Chris says search crews are now focused on different areas of the mountain where August was last seen. One of many possibilities, Chris says, is that August could be trapped.

"It's just so thick with vegetation that you could slide [up to] 100 feet down and be caught in [a] canopy," Chris said. "It would be impossible to see you [and] really hard for anybody to find you."

Is it possible that he might never be found if he fell? It seems like they have used quite a few people to search but I don't know if they have climbed down all the possible areas. It doesn't seem like casual hikers or dog walkers will come across him.

 

[necco]

From OldSteve's link:
http://www.news9.com/story/22659021...monitoring-case-of-missing-okla-valedictorian



Is it possible that he might never be found if he fell? It seems like they have used quite a few people to search but I don't know if they have climbed down all the possible areas. It doesn't seem like casual hikers or dog walkers will come across him.

Unfortunately, it is quite possible. Think about all the cases of people who have disappeared into ravines here in the states in CARS and weren't found, sometimes for years. Philip Taylor Kramer (the guy from Iron Butterfly) was in a MINIVAN and wasn't found for 4 years and that was near Malibu.

If the vegetation isn't deciduous, he may never be found.

 

[margarita25]

I'm glad to hear that the local Ecuadorian Military Police is helping, as well as the American Embassy, etc. Sometimes getting assistance in foreign countries can be challenging.

 

[lucky181]

At least, if he did fall and is gone, he got to fulfill a dream of traveling abroad before he died.

In the video, the reporter states that family members say they are veteran international travelers but nothing like this has happened before.

http://www.news9.com/story/22627340/okc-valedictorian-vanishes-in-south-america

 

[necco]

I'm glad to hear that the local Ecuadorian Military Police is helping, as well as the American Embassy, etc. Sometimes getting assistance in foreign countries can be challenging.

I'm glad as well.
(Just a note to everyone: If you experience an emergency abroad, embassies and consulates have a 24 hour number for US Citizens in emergencies. Always take the embassy/consulate number when you travel. In countries where we do not have formal diplomatic relations, there is usually another country's embassy who will help in a crisis. It's what they're there for.)