An American tourist visiting ancient Mayan ruins deep in the rainforests of Guatemala suddenly vanished without a trace — sparking a massive search mission and baffling authorities.
Raymond Vincent Ashcroft, 66, and his wife were scoping out the renowned Mayan city of Tikal with a bird-watching group on Feb. 3 when he decided to return to his hotel room, authorities said, according to CBS.
His wife, Van Phung, stayed behind with the group to snap photos of birds and an alligator at the World Heritage site, she told the local media outlet PrensaLibre.com.
When she returned to the hotel, her husband was nowhere to be found — prompting a search party made up of police, tourist civil authority agents and soldiers.
Raymond Vincent Ashcroft, 66, vanished mysteriously near the Mayan city of Tikal on Feb. 3. Facebook/Parque Nacional Tikal
The centuries-old ruins at Tikal are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesOfficials didn’t say where Ashcroft lives, but a report matching his name and age shows him connected to an address in Pearland, Texas.
Guatemalan officials have since notified Interpol, which issued a “yellow notice” to help locate vulnerable people who go missing.
However, after seven weeks, authorities are still hunting for Ashcroft in the wake of his mysterious disappearance.
The city of Tikal — which boasts an elaborate temple and palace — was inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 10th century AD and is surrounded by thousands of acres of protected land, according to UNESCO.
