Authorities are searching for a Southern California woman who disappeared while on a Yoga retreat in Guatemala.
Her name is Nancy and she is a 29-year-old from Monterey Park. She disappeared on Oct. 19 at a retreat in Lake Atitlán, according to her family.
She left on Oct. 14 and just a few days into her trip, her family said the retreat organizer called to say she had vanished.
She was officially reported missing on Oct. 19 and the details of her disappearance are vague. The family says not knowing what exactly happened on that day is scary.
“The last two weeks have been a living hell because when we first got the news that she was missing, we just had so many questions,” said Nicky Ng, Nancy’s sister.
“What happened? Where is she now? Is there a chance she’s alive? We didn’t know anything.”
Nicky said her sister was staying on Lake Atitlán, a large body of water located within a volcanic crater. It is a popular spot for tourists.
Nancy had gone before and she enjoyed her experience, so she wanted to visit again.
“She was saying it’s so beautiful,” Nicky recalled. “Last year, she woke up every morning just to spend some time there by herself without the group and this year was going to be more exciting because they had planned activities on the lake.”
The family has reached out to the State Department, the FBI, and local representatives. They are also working with a search and rescue team in Guatemala which has scoured about 95 percent of the lake by air and land along with divers and drones.
“We don’t know where she went in, where she went missing because there’s no corroboration of that,” said Chris Sharpe, Co-Owner of Black Wolf Helicopters, who is assisting in the search for Nancy. “We’ve got a rough idea, but it varies from one side of the lake to the other.”
He said the possibilities of Nancy’s disappearance are numerous as they are working to build leads.
“We just don’t know because we’re lacking that vital information,” Sharpe said.
Nancy is the eldest of four siblings and age likes traveling and doing her Yoga. She works for the Alhambra Unified School District where she assists students with disabilities.
“My role here is just to make sure no stone is left unturned and make sure that we try everything we can possible,” said Jonathan Ng, Nancy’s brother.
“We just want her to know that we love her so much and we just really want to bring her home,” Nicky said.
