A significant search operation is underway to locate a British traveler who has gone missing after arriving in San Francisco. Katherine Esther Gamboa Kerwood, 21, flew to the United States for a solo trip, but concerns arose when she failed to check in at her planned hostel. Upon her arrival at San Francisco International Airport from London on March 31, Katherine sent a text claiming she was at a hostel in Sacramento, which turned out to be untrue. Her itinerary included visits to Sacramento, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz.
Her father expressed worry after security footage at the airport showed Katherine meeting a man with flowers. Although the family had been in contact with her via text messages until Friday, their attempts to reach her by phone went unanswered. A family friend mentioned that Katherine is usually very responsive, making her silence a cause for concern.
The family later discovered that the man Katherine met at the airport, known as David, had previously interacted with her in the UK. Reports of Katherine’s disappearance have been filed with the San Francisco Police Department and UK authorities, prompting a large-scale search effort by the US police force. Katherine’s details have been shared on a statewide law enforcement database in California to notify officers statewide. Her return flight is scheduled for Wednesday.
