Peru Search Underway
Virginia Man Disappears During Peru Hiking Trip, Last Seen Leaving Cusco Airbnb
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Ian Thomas Treger, a 29-year-old from Rockbridge County, Virginia, has been missing in Peru for more than five weeks. He was last seen on May 13 leaving his Airbnb in the Wanchaq District of Cusco. His family, friends, and two governments are now searching for him across some of the most remote mountain terrain in South America.
Family friend Donna Welch has been working around the clock with Peruvian police, the U.S. Embassy, and the military to trace Treger's last movements. "Just so worried," she said, describing the family's state of mind. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to fund private search and rescue teams, which can cost more than $20,000, according to wistv.com.
Last Seen Leaving Cusco Airbnb on May 13
Treger arrived in Peru on April 30 for a solo trekking trip. He reached Cusco on May 11 and checked into an Airbnb in the Wanchaq District, according to Andina. On the morning of May 13, he took a final photo inside the Airbnb and posted it to social media. He told his host he would be gone for five days. No one has heard from him since.
His mother, Michelle Ludwig, filed the first reports and later traveled to Peru to help coordinate the search, according to The News-Gazette. Welch said the family did not panic right away. The planned hikes were long. But when all communication stopped completely, they knew something was wrong.
Conflicting Itineraries Made Early Search Almost Impossible
Treger gave different destinations to different people. He told his mother he was heading to Choquequirao, a brutal five-day trek deep in the Andes. He told his Airbnb host he was visiting Vinicunca, also called Rainbow Mountain. But his final social media activity suggests he may have gone to the Ausangate Loop, a high-altitude route that climbs above 16,000 feet, according to HYTIMES.PE and Diario Viral.
There is no record of Treger hiring a guide or registering with a tourism agency before heading out, according to La Ultima. In the Andes, solo hikers who skip formal registration have no safety net if something goes wrong. Peruvian police say the changing itinerary "impeded" early search efforts.
Military Helicopters Requested for High-Altitude Search
The U.S. Embassy in Lima formally reported the disappearance to Peru's National Police on June 11 — nearly a month after Treger vanished. Search parties were then sent to the Choquequirao and Ausangate routes, according to Diario Viral. Police also checked local bus terminals and trail registers for any sign of him.
By June 17, police had requested military helicopter support to reach high-altitude ravines in the Ausangate region, according to EDICION. General Virgilio Velásquez Hurtado, chief of the Cusco Police Region, said, "We are evaluating the use of an Army helicopter to track areas of difficult access." Mountain rescue experts warn that extreme weather and deep ravines make ground searches in Ausangate nearly impossible without air support.
Family Pushes for More Help as GoFundMe Campaign Grows
The family has launched a GoFundMe to pay for private search and rescue teams in Peru. Those teams can cost $20,000 or more, according to waff.com. Welch said the family wants the U.S. government to use technology to ping Treger's last known GPS coordinates. The U.S. Embassy has said it is working on "technological support to geolocalize the tourist's electronic devices," according to Andina.
Treger is described as 5'10", with blond hair, blue eyes, and two small fish tattoos on his right calf. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 2020. As of June 19, he has been missing for 37 days. His family says they remain hopeful he is alive, possibly in a remote Ausangate village where there is no phone signal, according to The News-Gazette.
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