Top 10 Costa Rica

Missing Student’s Family Pinning Hopes On One Man’s Story

The family and friends of a Chicago man missing in Costa Rica since August 11 are pinning their hopes on the story of a man who says he’s seen him.

It’s understandable, says David Gimelfarb’s friend Christine Shaw. Understandable how people might think a Costa Rican farmer who says he’s seen David twice might be mistaken – or making the story up.

After all, Shaw says, David Gimelfarb has been missing for 40 days now.

“But you just can’t give up hope. This is the first kind of real sighting of David or any kind of information that we’ve gotten.”

Shaw says the Costa Rican farmer identified Gimelfarb as short.

“He was right on about that. And also he said David wasn’t wearing his glasses, which, for many people that know David, he doesn’t wear his glasses very often. So it was pretty convincing.”

Shaw says the farmer says Gimelfarb ran away from him.

“The logical explanation for this, which is physiologically possible, is that he has had some sort of head trauma or his body chemistry is not operating properly due to lack of nutrition or he has gotten some kind of infection.”

Shaw says she and Gimelfarb’s parents are hoping someone will help supply a dog team that can follow the trail.

Shaw says she has hope. And she says she knows many people will believe it’s false hope.

But, she says, she just can’t give up.