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

[Occam's Zebra]

Dec 11 - CV goes to Macchu Pichu with some people from her hostel. They go out to eat & go dancing afterward.
4:00 am Dec 12 - CV and others are back at the hostel.
9:30 am Dec 12 - someone from that group says that CV and all of her belongings are now gone.
10:02 am Dec 12 - CV sends a text to someone from that group saying she's "checking out some places" and should be back around 1 pm. (Yet her stuff wasn't there anymore, supposedly.)
morning of Dec 12 - CV is seen on surveillance video getting into a taxi, and then heading toward a bus terminal.
Dec 13 - CV does not take her prearranged flight to Lima, to meet her friend.
Dec 15 - CV does not arrive back in Michigan.
am Dec 15 - employee at Macchu Pichu claims he saw CV getting ready to climb Macchu Pichu.

Other stuff:
Peruvian authorities say they tracked CV to Pisac, a town about an hour north of where she was last seen. (When do they think she was there?)

Friend says CV was on a pre-arranged tour of both Macchu Pichu AND Huayna Picchu. (Have they talked to the tour company?)

 

[JerseyGirl]

still missing: Legally blind US woman goes missing in Peru

 

[moonriverfarm]

The timeline is a bit confusing for sure.

 

[squid]

Turista invidente desaparecida en Cusco fue vista por última vez en camino a Pisac

>> Translated using Google Translate <<

Blind tourist disappeared in Cusco was last seen on the way to Pisac

According to information from the head of the police region, the foreign citizen reported as disappeared went to this point alone. They do not rule out investigating areas where they perform ceremonies and rituals of Ayahuasca .

More details are known regarding the location of the foreign citizen, Carla Valpeoz , who is wanted in the city of Cusco after she was reported missing a week ago and her whereabouts are unknown until now.

The chief of the Cusco police region , Colonel Manuel Mar, reported that the last information that is available to the foreign citizen is that he confirmed his entry to the Machu Picchu citadel, but the last thing he knew was that he was going to the locality of Pisac .

"The corresponding record of entry and exit of the citadel is that it has been all day, has embarked int the train terminal of Machu Picchu , has arrived at 22 hours to the city of Cusco on the 11th, has stayed, according to the registration of the hotel accommodation and the video display, he stayed there and left at 8:45 to the bus terminal to Pisac, "said the colonel.

Similarly, indicated that the woman moved without any companion, much less had contact with third parties. He said that this information as well as other details have been reported to the family of the young woman, this through the work of a search team .

"Embassy staff accompany parents, along with specialized personnel, emergency, rescue, high mountain that are in the area doing the work in a coordinated manner and working with the family in this situation," said Colonel Mar.

The colonel also reported that 50 soldiers are in Pisac and nearby areas where they perform ceremonies and rituals with Ayahuasca , which make the respective hairdo and find out information from those in charge of it, work that has been carried out by police of tourism and the commissioner of the sector.

Carla Valpeoz was reported as missing last Saturday by her friend, who had contact with her for the last time last Wednesday, despite having to return to the city of Lima on Friday to then go to their country of origin

 

[squid]

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.

 

[squid]

This article also reports the same information as the articles linked above again with some additional details.

Padre de turista desaparecida llega a Cusco y comienza su búsqueda (VIDEO) | Diario Correo

At the very bottom it states the following in Spanish which the Google translator does not make exact sense of. Any Spanish speakers who can help out? It looks like a potentially important piece of information:

DATO:
-Se manejaba la información de un retiro de dinero que la turista pudo hacer en la localidad de Pisac el día 13 de diciembre, las autoridades han descartado esta pista.

 

[squid]

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2018/12/18/americas/peru-missing-american-michigan/index.html

They are working from two hypotheses. They think she might be near Pisac, a village famous for its pre-Columbian agricultural terracing and a hilltop Inca fortress towering over the town. She might be participating in experiential tourism where she is deeply involved in the community, Iglesias said.

Police are also working from information that she was seen in a region near Cusco called Madre de Dios.

 

[Mauge]

I have difficulties with the timeline here.

They spent the whole day with Carla out and about at Machu Picchu, then spent the evening/night at a club dancing until 4 am. Yet she had already packed and left by 9.30 am. That leaves less than 5 hours for sleep if you factor in time for packing/showering etc. I wonder when was seen leaving in a taxi.

Why would she leave in such a rush with little sleep? And why would she take all her belongings if she planned on returning to the hostel at lunch time, as per her text quoted earlier? It all doesn't make sense to me. Something else is going on imo.

That's pretty normal for tourists there. They normally go dancing till 4 or 5 am, and then get up the next morning to check local places. Pisac would be considered local being just one hour away.

DATO:
-Se manejaba la información de un retiro de dinero que la turista pudo hacer en la localidad de Pisac el día 13 de diciembre, las autoridades han descartado esta pista.

Police were handling information of a possible money withdrawal at Pisac on dec 13. The authorities now say there wasn't any.

ETA: She did go to Huayna Picchu the day before.

Turista invidente de EE. UU. habría ingresado a Písac

Eta2: Google maps directions from Cusco to Pisac:
Google Maps

 

[Elainera]

That's pretty normal for tourists there. They normally go dancing till 4 or 5 am, and then get up the next morning to check local places. Pisac would be considered local being just one hour away.

Thank you for your local insight Mauge.
Is it custom to lie down for a nap after lunch?

 

[Mauge]

Thank you for your local insight Mauge.
Is it custom to lie down for a nap after lunch?

Locals don't, really. We're busy either working or studying. My aunts and gramma do, though. Tourists usually stay in their hotels for some time after lunch and go out again at 5 - 6. There's a lot of night life in Cusco.
Here's an itinerary that shows what a regular trip looks like:
Machu Picchu Tour 5 days | 5 Days in Cusco Itinerary | CuscoPeru.Com

 

[squid]

Cusco: búsqueda de turista estadounidense desaparecida continúa en Pisac

Not a lot new in this report except the first mention of drones being used that I've seen. It does include video of searchers/searching.

 

[Penny Parker]

I sincerely hope Carla will be found safe. I'm impressed with her adventurous spirit- and with her bravery, considering her visual challenges.

 

[squid]

Agentes de Estados Unidos se unen a la búsqueda de turista desaparecida en Cusco (VIDEO) | Diario Correo

>> Translated using Google Translate <<

This Friday 10 days have passed since the disappearance of the American tourist Carla Valpeoz (35 ) in Cusco, and until this city came the father of the visitor, Carlos López, who heads the search, especially in the Sacred Valley of The Incas.

Thus, since Thursday, the foreigner, together with a contingent of 50 policemen, is in the town of Pisac, where Carla Valpeoz was last seen.

Colonel PNP Manuel Mar, chief of the Cusco Police Region, quoted Correo as saying that this search has been joined by personnel from the US Embassy, in order to support the investigations.

DRON PROVIDES IMAGES OF ACCIDENTED PLACES.

"Two agents from the United States are working together with the local police, in total we have more than 50 troops combing the area of the archaeological park of Pisac and surrounding areas , " he said .

He also mentioned that another team looks for traces of the young woman through a police drone, which travels through inaccessible places and accidents in the place.

 

[squid]

Interestingly a possible money withdrawal from the 13th is being mentioned again. Last paragraph of above article link .

 

[Mauge]

Assuming there was a withdrawal , if she was planning to return to Cusco on the 12th, then I don't think it was her
Anyway. Bumping for Carla.

 

[squid]

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/12/22/americas/peru-missing-american-michigan/index.html

An American tourist who is legally blind and eventually will totally lose her sight was last seen more than a week ago on a trail near a small village in Peru, her brother said Saturday.

The new witness information puts Carla Valpeoz, a 35-year-old social activist and experienced traveler from Detroit, in Pisac on December 12, Carlos Valpeoz said in an email to CNN.

He wrote that three people -- a bus driver, a trail employee and an archeologist -- each saw his sister, who has very low vision and uses a cane when she travels. They said she was by herself.

Previously police had said a cab driver who dropped Valpeoz off on the morning of December 12 near an area where people can catch buses to other towns was the last person to see her.

The new witnesses say Valpeoz got off a bus in Pisac near the Urubamba River, that she went on a hiking trail to an Inca archaeological site, and that she was walking alone, according to her brother.

He said authorities have said they are going door to door in Pisac, which is about 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Cusco and 1,100 kilometers (683 miles) from the capital of Lima. They are also bringing in expert mountaineers, search dogs and drones, the brother said.

 

[cybervampira]

Vigil held on Belle Isle to thank those looking for blind Detroiter missing in Peru

Family and friends gathered Sunday at Belle Isle to thank those looking for Carla Valpeoz and to pray for her safe return.

 

[Mauge]

Translated from local msm in Spanish:

'Los Topos de México' is an elite unit, specialized in the search and rescue of people and its members have provided work around the world.

Carlos Valpeoz, being aware of this, mentioned to Correo that he has already had contact with them and is in talks so that they arrive in Peru so that they can join the task of searching for his daughter.

Los Topos de México llegarían a Cusco para buscar a turista desparecida | Diario Correo

In the article it's also mentioned that Mr. Valpeoz has confirmed that there was no money withdrawal, according to the police. Also, the last confirmed sight of her is on video, on a street near Pisac's main square .

 

[margarita25]

“Carlos Valpeoz, her brother, told Fox News via email: "Carla is an incredible humanitarian and wonderful person. She has devoted her life to helping other people despite her extreme disability. We are hopeful that this will get resolved soon and she will come back safe and healthy to the United States. Thank you to the community in Detroit for all their support. To her friends all over the world for spreading this story. The outpouring of love is incredible. Please come back to us Carla. We love you."“

Family of blind Michigan woman missing in Peru holds vigil

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Vigil held for Detroit woman last seen in Peru

““I’m asking — pleading that everyone in their prayers, in their thoughts of Carla, be active, be present, in future because we need to keep this story alive so we have a chance to find Carla,” Maria Valpeoz said. “

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Vigil held on Belle Isle to thank those looking for blind Detroiter missing in Peru

“DETROIT - Family and friends gathered Sunday at Belle Isle to thank those looking for Carla Valpeoz and to pray for her safe return.”

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Family pleads for answers in Detroit woman missing in Peru

“The State Department said they are aware of her disappearance but cannot comment on efforts to find her.”

 

[margarita25]

“Carlos Valpeoz said his sister used a cane to walk, but would never put herself in a dangerous situation. The family is hoping someone will come forward with new information after nearly two weeks since she was last seen.

"My sister devoted her life to helping other people," Carlos Valpeoz said.”

Family pleads for answers in Detroit woman missing in Peru

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