Mystery Surrounds Washington Couple in Nicaragua
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ABC News(NEW YORK) — The whereabouts of a Washington state couple sailing through Central America remains a mystery days after their family members said they received a call from their distressed father asking for money.
Danielle Blagdon told ABC News Wednesday that her father, Dave Scee, and his wife, Leiann Scee, were on their way to Costa Rica as part of a two-year sailing expedition.
Scee called Blagdon’s sister, Vanessa Scee, Monday morning saying that the couple had run into “trouble with immigration and the military” in Nicaragua and needed her to deposit money into their bank accounts, Blagdon said.
“We don’t know a whole lot,” said Blagdon. “He called Monday morning and he just said they were having trouble with immigration and the military there and they weren’t treating them very nicely, but they were OK and they might have to buy their way to Costa Rica.”
The U.S. State Department declined to offer details on the status or location of the Scees.
“We have been in contact with the family of the individuals in question,and we are working to confirm their safety,” a State Department official told ABC News.
Blagdon pointed out that Dave Scee only asked her to deposit a check that had arrived in the Scee’s mail for his wife. He did not ask the daughters for any additional money, and gave no indication that he and his wife were in danger.
The couple said they would get back in touch with Blagdon in a few days, but she has not heard from them. The family’s attempts to reach the Scees through Facebook have been unsuccessful.
ABC News could not reach Vanessa Scee for comment.
“Really, we don’t know anything at this point. We don’t want to make this into something it isn’t, but we just don’t have any answers,” Blagdon said.
The couple, in their mid-50s, have gone on extended sailing journeys before. They left in October for what was supposed to be a two-year trip, with three-month stops at various Central American ports, Blagdon said.
The U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua declined to comment, saying only the U.S. State Department was authorized to comment. The Nicaraguan Consulates in Washington and New York also declined to comment.
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