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ENGLISH HARKERLAWOFFICEPLC Somos una firma de abogados que trabajamos a tiempo completo especializados en Leyes de Immigración y Naturalización. •Tarjetas de Residencia •Permisos de Trabajo •Servicio de Immigración para familias y Negaocios •Representación a Clientes en Cortes de Immigración •Naturalización •Asistencia con DACA/Dream Act Asistimos a nuestros clientes en: Contamos con intérpretes a su servicio 1831 East 71 st St. Suite 313, Tulsa OK 74136 johnharker@harkerlawofficeplc.com 918-877-2615 The question baffling two countries: What happened to August Reiger? •Solicita inmediatamente cocineros con experiencia •Busboys •Excelente ambiente de trabajo •Aplicar en persona 7007 S. Memorial Tulsa, OK 74133 "Más Servicios, Mejores Precios" 2121 S. GARNETT RD. STE. 2 | TULSA, OK 74129 T: 918-439-3505 | F: 918-439-3506 MultiserviciosGarza ✔ Placas ✔ Titulos ✔ Stickers ✔ Titulos 42 ✔ Notaría Pública ✔ Traducciones ✔ Paqueteria ✔ Transporte a casi ✔ Toda la Rep. Mexicana Y muchos servicios más On June 16, 2013, 18-year-old August Reiger had the world at his feet — until he mysteriously va- nished along an Ecuadorian mountain trail just a few yards in front of his family. e Oklahoma City native, described by friends as "a bright young man," had graduated a few weeks earlier as valedicto- rian of his advanced stu- dies high school. Reiger's parents, Chris and Randa, were proud of their oldest son and decided to give him a gra- duation gift he would not forget — a trip to Ecuador. August had asked for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country where he could practice his love of spea- king the language while learning more about indi- genous cultures. It is August's fluency in Spanish and his bright intellect that his parents are praying are helping their son cope with whate- ver situation he is in now. Who is August Rei- ger? With his shoulder- length brown locks and lean frame, August looks more like the musician he is rather than the scholar most know him to be. Pedro Negrete, an exchange student from Ecuador, who attended August's school in 2011, re- members August being "a cool guy, maybe a little shy, but ex- tremely bright." Although they did not take the same classes – Ne- grete was a senior and August was a junior at the time, he says, "I saw him frequently. He was very well known due to his intelligence and he had a music band." An International Bacca- laureate Valedictorian, a Na- tional Merit Scholar and an Oklahoma Academic Scholar, August's achievements in the classroom attracted the attention of the University of Oklahoma which awarded August a full ride scholarship starting last year. But it was August's fas- cination with anthropology that captured his intellectual curiosity and the reason why he and his family found them- selves spending Father's Day hiking along a mountain trail in Baños, Ecuador. Ecuador, an adventurer's paradise Sitting on the equator, Ecuador is the smallest An- dean nation. While 94 per- cent of the population speaks Spanish, Ecuador is home to indigenous cultures that, al- together, speak over 10 lan- guages. e country is packed with the most startling con- trasts of scenery. With its astounding biodi- versity — Ecuador is one of 17 'megadiverse' countries in the world , home to an impressive historical legacy — awarded two World Heritage Site de- signations for its preserved Spanish style colonial archi- tecture — bustling highland markets and diverse mix of people, Ecuador serves as a unique example of a country building for its future from its past. Baños, located in Central Ecuador, is a major tourist destination in the country. Known as the "Gateway to the Amazon," Baños, home to popular thermal springs, at- tracts adventure enthusiasts from the world over eager to explore the nearby Amazon jungles or try their hand at one of the many outdoor acti- vities the area offers. For August and his family, Baños was the perfect star- ting point to get to know the country. What happened to Au- gust? e day before August, his younger brother and parents were going to take a long- awaited 3-day tour of remote areas in the Amazon jungle, the Oklahoma family decided to take a short hike along the scenic trail that ran past their resort hotel. Towards the end of the hike, August elected to walk ahead of the group and meet them at the top of the trail. It would be the last time the young man would be seen. When August's parents did not find their son waiting for them, they headed back to the hotel thinking their son could be there. He wasn't. Twenty-four hours later, a fre- netic search started. According to a brief statement sent from the governor's office of Ecuador's Tungurahua province, Gover- nor Lira De La Paz Villalva, "A special team of local autho- rities, including members of the armed forces, police, fire department and some volun- teers were deployed in order to find Mr. Reiger." At the time of August's disappearance, Chris Reiger, August's father, told Oklaho- ma media that he felt August either fell from a steep ledge or was kidnapped. "I thought he must have gone on. You couldn't get lost. ere's only two trails. You can see the whole town… all you have to do is go down," said the elder Reiger in a long distance phone interview at the time of the disappearan- ce with an Oklahoma media outlet. On June 24, August's sta- tus was officially changed to 'missing' and President Oba- ma declared the teen a "mis- sing patriot." Where is August? In the weeks since August's disappearance, there have been three credible re- ports of a young man fitting his description. Given the fact that August is thin, fair-skin- ned and towers over the local population, authorities are ta- king the reports seriously. Two of the sightings are from the same person and all three report the same circum- stances, with the same people in which they saw a young man they believed to be Au- gust. e witnesses said they saw someone who looked like August sitting in the back of a truck heading towards the Amazon jungle. August's parents, Chris and Randa, spent the majo- rity of last summer in Baños searching for their son. Family members and friends also joi- ned in the search flying down to Baños from Oklahoma and other states to lend their mo- ral support. e family can't praise the efforts enough of the Ecuadorian government in trying to find August. In addition to offering a reward to anyone with information about Au- gust and promoting the story heavily in Ecuador's media, the government also provided the Reiger family with police protec- tion. According to Cristi Reiger, August's aunt who is serving as the family's spokeswoman, authori- ties in Ecuador "have been extraordinary, incredible" and she added that "they have told us that they will not rest until August is found." ough no ransom has been asked, kidnap- ping remains a leading hy- pothesis by officials since they feel that if he had fallen from a mountain ledge his body would have been discovered by now. e country's elite police unit that speciali- zes in kidnapping, called UNASE, has taken full charge of the search ope- rations. e Reiger family also fe- els confident that August's di- sappearance is a kidnapping. "is is not unusual (for no ransom to be asked)," Cris- ti Reiger said. "e elite group [UNASE] says that long wai- ting periods are common. It could take months before the first contact." However, some in Ecua- dor feel that authorities are wrong to focus solely on kidnapping as a motive for August's disappearance. Keeping the flame of hope alive In the meantime, the fa- mily continues turning to an- yone who can help. Social media savvy friends, and even strangers, are also keeping the plight of the Reiger family active on so- cial platforms. e Twitter account @ BringAugustHome features tweets from Ecuador media and concerned citizens tal- king about August's case, and two Facebook pages continue raising awareness about Au- gust too. "He will be found," August's aunt, Cristi said fir- mly. "He will be back home." August's parents have re- turned to the United States. "ere are not currently any family members in Ecuador," Cristi informed. "But we do have several people there hel- ping us. e Ecuadorean go- vernment continues to assist us. President Correa has been in touch with our family. He has also added a position to his cabinet to deal with mis- sing persons. All of the offi- cials from locals, all the way up to the President, have been very gracious with their help." 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