The American Embassy: finding a missing American abroad

aruna

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Suppose someone is reported as missing to the American Embassy, say in a big city in Asia. Say the person is probably in jeopardy -- went voluntarily into a high-crime area, and the whole thing sounds suspicious. How active would the AA be? Would they send out people to look for her? would they engage the local police, or expect the local police to do the detective work? Would they engage detectives, be actively engaged in the search, be full-power out to find her?
Thanks in advance!
 

MarkEsq

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I've interviewed the second most senior RSO (Regional Security Officer) at the American Embassy in Paris (about his role generally and obviously we didn't discuss this particular situation). My understanding is that the local police would lead the search, and the embassy would be kept informed. They'd liaise with the police and family, and probably the media to some degree.

I think if you want to make an RSO more active in the search you could certainly do that. As he said to me, "No one knows what we do, so no one's gonna call you out on it." After six novels with my MC as the chief RSO in Paris, I can say that he's right!
 

WeaselFire

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How active would the AA be? Would they send out people to look for her? would they engage the local police, or expect the local police to do the detective work? Would they engage detectives, be actively engaged in the search, be full-power out to find her?

Why would the embassy know or care? For a normal tourist or traveler, they would provide a point of contact for family and that's about it. The disappearance is all local agencies and policies. The US Department of State was not set up to babysit stupid Americans.

Jeff
 

dinky_dau

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Thomas Thompson's fascinating true-crime docu-novel from the 'seventies called, 'Serpentine' should yield up details. The criminal in that saga was a slick scumbag who preyed on American tourists in Asia. Twenty-three victims I think it was.
 

Helix

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Thomas Thompson's fascinating true-crime docu-novel from the 'seventies called, 'Serpentine' should yield up details. The criminal in that saga was a slick scumbag who preyed on American tourists in Asia. Twenty-three victims I think it was.

Charles Sobhraj murdered about a dozen people (as far as is known). Some of the victims were Americans, but the rest were from Europe. IIRC, the Dutch were the ones who did all the legwork in gathering evidence against him. Richard Neville interviewed Sobhraj and wrote a very detailed book about him.

Over the next four months, Neville interviewed the charming, urbane and self-assured killer in a stifling courtroom cell. Eventually, on condition that Neville never testify against him, Sobhraj confessed to five known murders in Thailand and two in Nepal. He called them “the cleanings”.
 

Chris P

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I've interviewed the second most senior RSO (Regional Security Officer) at the American Embassy in Paris (about his role generally and obviously we didn't discuss this particular situation). My understanding is that the local police would lead the search, and the embassy would be kept informed. They'd liaise with the police and family, and probably the media to some degree.

I think if you want to make an RSO more active in the search you could certainly do that. As he said to me, "No one knows what we do, so no one's gonna call you out on it." After six novels with my MC as the chief RSO in Paris, I can say that he's right!

This pretty much as far as embassy working with the locals and communicating with the families. My embassy contact in Madagascar told me a story about a couple lost tourists they found. The RSO was indeed active in the search but Weaselfire has a point that the embassy isn't a tourist's lawyer, travel agent, or nanny. It's understood that you are expected to make your own way in normal circumstances, follow all the local laws, and if you get in trouble then that's on you.
 

dinky_dau

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Thank you for that correction, Helix