A 21-year-old British tourist has vanished in San Francisco after meeting a man at the airport, prompting a major search by US authorities. Katherine Esther Gamboa Kerwood flew from London to San Francisco International Airport on March 31 for a solo trip, but never checked into her planned accommodation.
Her family raised the alarm after she failed to arrive at the hostel where she was booked. A text from Katherine on the day of her arrival claimed she was at a hostel in Sacramento, but she never checked in there either. Her travel itinerary included stops in Sacramento, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz.
Her father told police that security footage from the airport shows her meeting a man carrying flowers upon arrival. The man, believed to be called David, had reportedly met Katherine previously in the UK. The family stayed in contact with her via text messages until Friday, but when they requested a phone call, she stopped responding.
Family friend Ali Zaidi told local media: 'She's generally very responsive and the fact that she didn't message for hours is the first signal.' The San Francisco Police Department and UK authorities have both been notified, and a statewide law enforcement database in California has been updated with her information.
Katherine's return flight to the UK is scheduled for Wednesday. Officers across California have been alerted, and the search continues.
