Blind US Tourist Vanishes. Her Family Won't Give Up

Michigan's Carla Valpeoz disappeared 6 months ago in Peru, and her dad is looking for her there
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2019 5:05 PM CDT
6 Months Later, Family Still Searching for Blind Daughter
Carla Valpeoz.   (GoFundMe)

Six months ago, an unusual missing-person case made national headlines—unusual in that the missing person was a 35-year-old Michigan woman who is legally blind. Carla Valpeoz vanished while traveling alone in Peru, attempting to fulfill a goal of visiting the ancient site of Machu Picchu. The case may have disappeared from the headlines, but Valpeoz remains missing, and CNN provides an in-depth look at her family's tireless efforts to find her. That includes her 71-year-old father leaving Texas to roam the small Peruvian towns where she was last seen, looking for clues, passing out flyers, and searching for anyone who might have spotted his daughter. In fact, Carlos Valpeoz is still in Peru, trying to prod police to keep investigating and trying to get the locals to trust him. Back in the US, his wife and son support him as best they can.

The story recounts how Carla had been traveling as much as possible before she lost her vision completely. She had accompanied a friend to Peru for a wedding, but set off on the last part of her journey alone. One of the last cryptic texts her friend received was Carla writing, "I had a big issue that I need to resolve that I'll do it before I get home." The last known sighting of Carla is on surveillance video showing her walking by a drugstore in the village of Pisac on Dec. 12. She had asked directions to the Pisac Archaeological Park, and police have searched the park extensively to no avail. The latest police theory is that she never made it into the park, and perhaps ventured to a region where tourists try hallucinogenic drugs, though her family doubts that. "I need to take my daughter back," says her father. "I need to find her somehow." Read the full story. (More Longform stories.)

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