After two months of nonstop searching, a Jewish student from Montreal is still missing without a trace in the mountains of Peru, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Jesse Galganov, who has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, was just setting out on a planned eight-month backpacking trip through South America when he went missing in late September. He had recently completed college and was planning to enroll in medical school next fall.
He seems to have disappeared during his stay at a hostel near the start of the Santa Cruz trek, a rugged multi-day hike. Local authorities have launched a criminal investigation at the hostel.
Galganov’s parents have been in Peru since September, working with local guides, the U.S. and Canadian embassies, the FBI and a private Israeli search-and-rescue squad.
“We are still actively searching,” Galganov’s father, Todd, told a newspaper this week from the mountainous Huaraz region of Peru.
Friend’s and family set up a GoFundMe page that has raised over $130,000 for rescue efforts for Galganov.
Contact Ari Feldman at feldman@forward.com or on Twitter @aefeldman.
