AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has reportedly ended its investigation into a missing student and his wife.
Frank Guzman and his wife Caroline Katba haven't been seen since July 22 when they were traveling through Veracruz, Mexico.
However, after more than three months without contact, Frank Guzman's sister, Elizabeth Guzman, learned the university is reportedly no longer pursuing the couple's disappearance.
Loved ones say they have not received any noteworthy updates on the case and that the prosecutor's office is struggling to access basic information like the couple's cellphones and credit card information.
Now, family and friends have put together a GoFundMe page to raise money "to secure an attorney who can coordinate with the multiple Mexican and U.S. agencies involved in this case."
In a statement released Friday, UT said:
"In the case of a student that goes missing while abroad, the University’s International Critical Incident Response Team (I-CIRT) would provide assistance and resources to the fullest possible extent to help ensure every effort is made to locate and assist the student. I-CIRT follows expert advice in implementing action plans when an emergency arises involving a UT student abroad on a UT program. This includes engaging authorities in the U.S. and abroad and includes decisions about under what circumstances service should be discontinued after authorities have been engaged."
What happened to the couple?
Frank Guzman was first reported missing by the Texas Department of Public Safety on July 18. But family members quickly said he wasn't alone.
Elizabeth Guzman said her brother was traveling through Mexico with his wife when loved ones lost contact with the couple. She said their last known location was in the Veracruz state of Mexico, in the town of Coatzacoalcos.
The couple was traveling by car to Chile so Frank Guzman could do research for his doctorate as an anthropology PhD student at UT Austin.
"He loves traveling. He loves learning. I don't think he was ever meant to you know settle down somewhere," Elizabeth Guzman said. "He wants to be a part of the world."
Elizabeth Guzman said she informed the FBI. and that her life is now consumed with finding answers.
"There's a version of me that felt normal before all of this, and now I can't be," Elizabeth Guzman said. "I'm a sibling who desperately misses her brother and her sister-in-law."
U.S. warns of traveling through Veracruz
Many portions of Mexico have been under a travel warning by the U.S. State Department.
Veracruz is under an "Exercise Increased Caution" warning due to violent crime and gang activity, particularly in Cordoba and Coatzacoalcos, where Frank Guzman and Katba were last seen.
The State Department said most of the gang-related violence is targeted, but bystanders can be affected. It also said there are impromptu roadblocks that require payment to pass.
