Brother and uncle of missing NI man travel to Israel to aid search
RELATIVES of a Co Down man who vanished in the Israeli desert have travelled there to join the search for him.
Oliver McAfee from Dromore has not been seen since November 21.
The 29-year-old had been cycling on the Israel National Trail near the town of Mitzpe Ramon.
Yesterday his brother Matt and uncle travelled to the country to meet with police and search teams, as well as British embassy officials and national media.
The family had alerted police after Mr McAfee failed to fly home as expected in December.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, his sister-in-law Angela McAfee said the “best-case scenario” would be to see Oliver found safe and well and brought back home.
“There are many reasons for Matt’s visit — to meet with the police and search teams to understand all that they have done, to see where his belongings were found, to revitalise the awareness and more,” she said.
“Our message to the public that have assisted is that we are eternally grateful; we truly have been so overwhelmed by people’s willingness to help — the search teams in the physical search, people sharing suggestions, well wishes, prayers, and assistance in getting Matt to Israel — we will always be indebted to these people.”
Mr McAfee had travelled in Mexico and Europe with friends and had helped with building work prior to travelling to Israel.
Search teams earlier discovered pieces of paper bearing Mr McAfee’s handwriting with text from the Bible. It led to speculation that he may have suffered a condition known as ‘Jerusalem syndrome’ where visitors to the city experience delusions which are thought to be linked to their personal religious beliefs.
A tablet computer, his wallet, and keys were discovered near a trail in a park in southern Israel.
Other possessions including his bike, other bags, and shoes were found near a camp site close to where he was last seen.
His passport, however, is yet to be located.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of his trip, Matt said that although Oliver had not used his passport, it was possible he had crossed borders into Jordan or the West Bank.
He added that there was a notebook the police were particularly interested in talking to the family about.
The Israeli police has said it knows Mr McAfee had spent some time in Jerusalem, and had slept out during his travelling, not staying in hotels.
A television report aired in Israel on January 19, but this did not yield any new information.
A Facebook page ‘Missing: Oliver McAfee in Israel’ has been set up for the public to assist in the search.
❝ There are so many reasons for the visit — to meet police and search teams, to see where his belongings were found, to revitalise awareness