Siblings seek help and answers after brother seemingly disappears in Guatemala
By Kris Ketz
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A local family is hoping you can help them find answers in the case of a Kansas City man who has gone missing in Guatemala.
Chris Seals’ family has been praying for a miracle.
“My gut tells me he’s still alive,” Tim Seals, Chris Seals’ brother, told KMBC.
Chris Seals went to Guatemala to teach English 21 years ago. Everything seemed fine, but the calls, emails and text messages slowed in 2020.
“And no reason to believe that he was in danger?” Tim Seals asked. “Well, back in 2020, there was a time when I was texting him. This is March 2020, and he texts me back, and he said, ‘We just have a few beers right now.’ And you know, and I knew something was wrong because Chris never drank, never drank. So it’s almost like somebody else had a cellphone.”
The last email from the expat came in on June 23, 2022. Now, when family members call his cellphone, it rings twice and then the call drops.
“I don’t think, I don’t think Chris is dead,” Tim Seals said. “And I hate to say that word, but I don’t think he’s dead.”
The brothers’ sister, Karen Brox, has spent months asking for help from local members of Congress, staff members at embassies, Border Patrol agents and even the FBI.
The family also set up a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise enough money to hire a private investigator in Guatemala.
Again, they don’t know what, if anything, has happened to him. But just last summer, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 3 travel advisory for the country. It says violent crimes, like extortion, murder, robbery, carjackings and drug and gang activity, are now so common that local police lack the resources to stop it.
“I don’t know if, like I said, if he’s homeless or if he’s in trouble,” Tim Seals said. “I don’t even know if he’s locked up. I don’t know. Like, we just quit hearing from him, you know?”
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