On the other side of the world from the Bay Area, crews are searching for a man who grew up in Northern California and was reported missing last week after going on a hike in India.
Family members say 44-year-old Samuel Vengrinovich was last seen in the early afternoon hours of Friday, June 6, after heading out on a glacial trek on Mount Triund near Dharamsala, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas.
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WATCH HERESamuel's sister, Natasha Vengrinovich, who lives in San Francisco, spoke with NBC Bay Area on Wednesday.
She shared that her brother, who is eight years her senior, grew up in Fremont, attended Mission San Jose High School, and went to college at San Francisco State. Natasha said her brother moved to Israel in 2015, and then moved away when the war started in 2023. She said she believes her brother has been living in India for the past eight months.
In the family group text on Wednesday, June 4, Samuel had told the family that he had the opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama speak that morning and was excited to share the details, Natsasha said.
"And then Thursday, he texted us saying ‘I’m gonna go on a hike’ and then we started talking about doing a family reunion next month," she continued, adding that the last time they heard from him was talking about a future family reunion in Florida.
Natasha described her brother as a yogi and a calming presence.
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"He really, like, helped me stay calm a lot. He would be like ‘It’s OK man, it's OK, everything is going to be OK,'" she explained
Every waking moment now, Natasha is flooded with messages from Samuel's friends around the world and some people on the ground in India who are helping to search for him. During our interview, she got a call from the Indian Police and from someone who said they were a friend of Samuel's.
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SIGN UP With no major leads yet, Samuel's family has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a private search in the remote area. They have already contracted with a company to help in the search, but the family is quickly learning that the cost of getting resources there is immense.
The GoFundMe page made by the family tells those wishing to help with the search not to go looking for Samuel on their own, given the dangerous terrain. Instead, the family recommends that those interested in helping contact the Chabad Rabbi in Dharmasala.
Natasha said her family has been seeking help from the US Consulate in India, but has not gotten updates on when that might happen.
"If a senator or a governor, Gavin Newsom, or Daniel Lurie, or any person in power in the government, hears this story and can help, by putting pressure on an embassy or consulate, we could really use it," Natasha emphasized.
