British woman, 21, goes missing after meeting a man during solo trip to California
A 21-year-old British woman has vanished after meeting a man during a solo holiday to California.
Katherine Esther Gamboa Kerwood disappeared after travelling alone from London for a week-long sightseeing trip.
She was last seen on CCTV meeting a man carrying flowers who greeted her at the airport, her father told local media.
Her family say they have not heard from her since Friday and that it is out of character for her to go quiet.
‘She’s generally very responsive and the fact that she didn’t message for hours is the first signal,’ family friend Ali Zaidi told KTVU on Sunday.
‘Second, when she messaged they said, “Hey, let’s get on the phone”, and immediately she didn’t respond.’
Kerwood arrived in California on March 31, with plans to visit Sacramento, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, San Francisco and Santa Cruz.
A text she sent that same day claimed she was at a hostel in Sacramento, but she never checked in.
A 21-year-old British woman has vanished after meeting a man during a solo holiday to California
Katherine Esther Gamboa Kerwood disappeared after travelling alone from London for a week-long sightseeing trip
Her father said airport security footage showed her meeting a man, believed to be named David, whom she had previously met in the UK.
The disappearance has been reported to police in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Officers in California have entered her details into a statewide database to alert law enforcement.
Local authorities are understood to be working to trace Kerwood’s movements after she left the airport, including reviewing further CCTV and phone data.
Her family have appealed for information and urged anyone who may have seen her or knows of her whereabouts to contact police.
Kerwood, who is believed to be from Clanfield, Hampshire, had been due to fly back to London on Wednesday.
