Cancun Forum: Missing Edinburgh Woman

I will pray for the woman and her family and hope she will be found soon.

I can't imagine she could have walked any great distance she has to be still on that property.

OMG how tragic. That resort is surrounded by lots of jungle, she could walk around for days and not find her way out. Hopefully there will be a happy ending for this lady, prayers are with the family

That's a week ago....I pray for her and her family.

We are arriving at the Moon Palace on Saturday! Please keep us posted! How frightening!

Thanks for posting this Robert, I've been following the story closely and for those interested more info can be found including additional links at my blog;

"Missing in Cancun, Mexico; the Strange Case of Julia Howard" http://dangers.cancuncasa.com/

The family is desperate for assistance in locating Julia and it's now been a week since her disappearance and their fears are obviously growing.

"The family is saying little is being done by the hotel or local authorities to locate her."

Why would anyone even think the authorities or the hotel would do much about the case. This will be another incident swept under the rug by officials. This is common in Mexico.

I do pray for the missing lady and the family. My heart goes out to you.

How awful for her family. Story seems strange though. How does one go missing on a resort? I hope she is found soon.

I have just found this link to the story.

Scottish TV News - Growing concern for missing Edinburgh Woman:

http://video.stv.tv/bc/news-s2-090622-cancun/

Mrs Howard´s family are becoming increasing concerned about her disappearance. Her son, Henry Harvey, said that he had received no assistance from the Mexican authorities.

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It is now six days since Julia Howard disappeared and her family are becoming increasingly desperate, and say they are being given very little help to find her.

Mrs Howard´s son, Henry Harvey, said: "We have had no contact with the police. They have not been in contact with us at all. The hotel, I think, are just protecting their reputation. They seem to be hiding from us. Nobody from any authority in the hotel has been in touch with us and we are just being left in limbo. We are just beginning to think something untoward happened because I just do not understand how a 77-year-old lady can just vanish off the face of the Earth in a five-star resort."

The 77-year-old had flown into Cancún with her family for a two-week break last Monday. Less than twelve hours after arriving, she vanished. There is no CCTV [Closed-Circuit Television = security cameras] at the hotel but security there say they have no record of her leaving the premises. Her family back home say that their fears are growing with every day that passes.

Mrs Howard´s grand-daughter, Gillian , said: "She could not walk very far. Maybe [for] 10 minutes, then she would have to stop for a rest. So she cannot have gone out of the complex. We know that she did not order a taxi. There was no taxi ordered, or anything. So as time goes on, you do start to think horrible things."

The family were on a "Thomas Cook" package holiday to the area and say the tour operators have been helpful. Tonight in a statement, a spokesman for the company confirmed they were doing everything they could to support the family at this very difficult time. He also added that they had made arrangements for them to continue to stay in Cancún for as long as is necessary.

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La familia de la señora Howard se halla cada vez más abrumada por su desaparición. Su hijo, Henry Harvey, declara no haber recibido apoyo alguno por parte de las autoridades mexicanas.

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Transcurridos seis días tras la desaparición de Julia Howard, sus familiares se encuentran cada vez más desesperados y afirman recibir escasa ayuda para encontrarla.

Henry Harvey, hijo de la señora Howard, ha declarado: "No hemos tenido trato alguno con la policía. No se han puesto en contacto en ningún momento. Creo que el hotel está intentando proteger su propia reputación. Parecen esconderse de nosotros. No tenemos contacto alguno con ningún responsable del hotel, nos dejan desinformados. Estamos comenzando a pensar que ha ocurrido algo funesto, de otra manera es imposible entender que una mujer de 77 años pueda desvanecerse sin más, en un centro turístico de cinco estrellas."

Julia Howard, de 77 años de edad, llegó en avión a Cancún el pasado lunes junto con su familia, para pasar dos semanas de vacaciones. Algo menos de doce horas más tarde, desapareció sin dejar rastro. El hotel no dispone de un circuito cerrado de cámaras internas, pero los guardias de seguridad afirmaron que no hay constancia de que haya abandonado las instalaciones. En su país, sus familiares afirman sentirse más atemorizados con cada día que pasa.

La nieta de la señora Howard, Gillian Greaves, señala: "No podía recorrer grandes distancias; tras unos diez minutos, tenía que parar a descansar. Por tanto, no ha podido salir del complejo. Sabemos que no pidió un taxi, no hubo llamadas de reserva ni nada por el estilo. Así, conforme va pasando el tiempo comienzas a pensar que algo horrible ha sucedido."

La familia compró la oferta de viaje a la región a la compañía de viajes Thomas Cook, e indican que el operador sí les ha prestado ayuda. En una declaración efectuada la pasada noche, un portavoz de esta empresa ha confirmado que están haciendo todo lo posible por apoyar a la familia en una situación tan difícil. Señaló también que han tomado medidas para que puedan permanecer en Cancún el tiempo que sea necesario.

Its a shame the family is not getting support from the local police or the Moon Palace management. I hope the publicity they get here and other places will prod them into action. I think, as mentioned, resorts often want to keep it quiet because they dont want their name in the headlines. What a shame.