Missing Alabama student in Barcelona

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He got drunk, fell in the water, and drowned.

So many young men die this way. Seems whenever one goes missing while out at night, it is about a 50%+ chance they drowned.

No he was robbed and a fight ensued and they pushed him in. Where’s the girl?
Who got his phone? Where’s the necklace?

They have a witness who saw him walking up onto a rocky outcropping overlooking the water. He probably lost his balance or took a misstep in the dark. Lots of drunk young men get into fights and lose things too, but that isn't the same as being murdered.

Or maybe it wasn't a witness but a accomplice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So sad and tragic.

I’m sorry, I don’t care you don’t leave your friends at a bar, anywhere. If somebody wants to stay, you draw straws to see who stays. I tell my child that too. It shouldn’t be this way but society forces this on us. I think.

Especially in a strange city or foreign country!

My brother lived all over the world in his 20s and 30s. He was home for a visit and went out with high school friends drinking. Some people wanted to stay and he wanted to leave and walk for “fresh air”. He’s gone now.
I feel like all his time abroad actually gave him a false sense of safety. The countries he lived in were all low-crime and I think he was used to walking around cities at night without fear.

I’m so very sorry. My heart hurts so much for you. Im the one with the son in Spain. I worry about him here too. Truth is terrible things can happen anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This hits so close to home and my heart. My son recently was at the exact same popular nightclub Shoko on the beach in Spain. They had a table, it was hot and packed. He left his phone and friends, went outside to get fresh air thinking they’d let him back in because of purchased table. The bouncers refused because the line to get in was 200 long. So he was separated from phone, apple wallet and friends. He had no cash for taxi, no maps spoke no Catalon. After four hours of wandering around Spain he finally found two girls who spoke English who gave him directions to his hotel where he arrived safely scared but exhausted and went to sleep.

Back home in the states I could see on Life 360 that he hadn’t moved from the club in 7 hours. Waited for the club to close and when he didn’t move, knew there was a problem. Had his friends scour the beach for him in the dark in groups worried he was in the ocean because it was so close to where his phone was pinging. Finally heard from him after 15 hours when the club reopened and he retrieved his phone at 3pm Spain time. Was so upset he didn’t find a way to contact me sooner. It was the longest most terrifying night of my life.

That same night one of his friends wallet and phone were stolen. He was also held up by knife point in Italy weeks later. If you have a child studying abroad or visiting foreign countries, you must drill into them street smarts, a few important phrases in the native language, have names and phone numbers of the kids they are with, name of hotel, flight info, rules for check in or please do not let them go. We made mistakes by not doing those things. It’s not Disneyland. They can not go anywhere without their phone. They need their phone in a safe interior pocket at all times and CASH! Such a lesson to learn. Thankfully my son was not drunk so that he couldn’t function. If he had been, my heart lurches and breaks at the thought. This child could have been my boy. I am shaken to the core. This should have never happened but it so easily does. It’s so easy to be caught up in the excitement and glamour of a foreign country. Kids will be kids. Such a beautiful boy who sounds like he was a really great kid. Praying for this family with all my heart. Devastating.

I mean, yea, tough story and glad your kid was ok, but had you not been tracking him the whole entire thing would have happened anyway and you probably would never even have known about it. College kids have been studying in Europe for generations without being tracked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I studied in Spain in an era where no one had phones. I survived.

Yeah me too. I did almost get raped by a guy who followed me back to where I was staying at had me pinned against a wall. I started screaming and someone came out and scared him off. I was with a friend but she was booking up with some guy and didn’t notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never let my daughter go away to a spring break destination, that is for sure. No good can cone from hundreds and hundreds of drunk teens together, without adult supervision.

Bingo… Also, nothing good happens after midnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This hits so close to home and my heart. My son recently was at the exact same popular nightclub Shoko on the beach in Spain. They had a table, it was hot and packed. He left his phone and friends, went outside to get fresh air thinking they’d let him back in because of purchased table. The bouncers refused because the line to get in was 200 long. So he was separated from phone, apple wallet and friends. He had no cash for taxi, no maps spoke no Catalon. After four hours of wandering around Spain he finally found two girls who spoke English who gave him directions to his hotel where he arrived safely scared but exhausted and went to sleep.

Back home in the states I could see on Life 360 that he hadn’t moved from the club in 7 hours. Waited for the club to close and when he didn’t move, knew there was a problem. Had his friends scour the beach for him in the dark in groups worried he was in the ocean because it was so close to where his phone was pinging. Finally heard from him after 15 hours when the club reopened and he retrieved his phone at 3pm Spain time. Was so upset he didn’t find a way to contact me sooner. It was the longest most terrifying night of my life.

That same night one of his friends wallet and phone were stolen. He was also held up by knife point in Italy weeks later. If you have a child studying abroad or visiting foreign countries, you must drill into them street smarts, a few important phrases in the native language, have names and phone numbers of the kids they are with, name of hotel, flight info, rules for check in or please do not let them go. We made mistakes by not doing those things. It’s not Disneyland. They can not go anywhere without their phone. They need their phone in a safe interior pocket at all times and CASH! Such a lesson to learn. Thankfully my son was not drunk so that he couldn’t function. If he had been, my heart lurches and breaks at the thought. This child could have been my boy. I am shaken to the core. This should have never happened but it so easily does. It’s so easy to be caught up in the excitement and glamour of a foreign country. Kids will be kids. Such a beautiful boy who sounds like he was a really great kid. Praying for this family with all my heart. Devastating.

This is so terrifying. It’s one of the reasons I got my daughter an apple watch and pay the data charges as her HS graduation present. She goes to school in a large city and I was worried she would lose her phone at a restaurant or club or whatever and not have a way to call for help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This hits so close to home and my heart. My son recently was at the exact same popular nightclub Shoko on the beach in Spain. They had a table, it was hot and packed. He left his phone and friends, went outside to get fresh air thinking they’d let him back in because of purchased table. The bouncers refused because the line to get in was 200 long. So he was separated from phone, apple wallet and friends. He had no cash for taxi, no maps spoke no Catalon. After four hours of wandering around Spain he finally found two girls who spoke English who gave him directions to his hotel where he arrived safely scared but exhausted and went to sleep.

Back home in the states I could see on Life 360 that he hadn’t moved from the club in 7 hours. Waited for the club to close and when he didn’t move, knew there was a problem. Had his friends scour the beach for him in the dark in groups worried he was in the ocean because it was so close to where his phone was pinging. Finally heard from him after 15 hours when the club reopened and he retrieved his phone at 3pm Spain time. Was so upset he didn’t find a way to contact me sooner. It was the longest most terrifying night of my life.

That same night one of his friends wallet and phone were stolen. He was also held up by knife point in Italy weeks later. If you have a child studying abroad or visiting foreign countries, you must drill into them street smarts, a few important phrases in the native language, have names and phone numbers of the kids they are with, name of hotel, flight info, rules for check in or please do not let them go. We made mistakes by not doing those things. It’s not Disneyland. They can not go anywhere without their phone. They need their phone in a safe interior pocket at all times and CASH! Such a lesson to learn. Thankfully my son was not drunk so that he couldn’t function. If he had been, my heart lurches and breaks at the thought. This child could have been my boy. I am shaken to the core. This should have never happened but it so easily does. It’s so easy to be caught up in the excitement and glamour of a foreign country. Kids will be kids. Such a beautiful boy who sounds like he was a really great kid. Praying for this family with all my heart. Devastating.

Land the helicopter Mom. Spain and Italy are both far safer than the US. Kids do stupid things sometimes, but they land on their feet and it’s important for their growth. It sounds like your son was fine. Give him room to grow and don’t smother him. You are not doing him any favors!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I studied in Spain in an era where no one had phones. I survived.

I studied in Barcelona and found pickpocket hands in my pocket once, my purse being quietly lifted from the restaurant chair next to mine once (a by-stander made the thief put it back and leave) and my suede jacket being stolen off my bar stool once. A colleague got her wallet stolen out of her purse in a movie theater with the purse between her feet. So many friends' wallets gone. Several friends' purses gone from their stroller. A decade earlier, on a family trip, we had our (non-Spanish) car broken into within an hour of arriving to Barcelona. Petty crime in BCN is the worst I've experienced, but I still love the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So sad and tragic.

I’m sorry, I don’t care you don’t leave your friends at a bar, anywhere. If somebody wants to stay, you draw straws to see who stays. I tell my child that too. It shouldn’t be this way but society forces this on us. I think.

Especially in a strange city or foreign country!

My brother lived all over the world in his 20s and 30s. He was home for a visit and went out with high school friends drinking. Some people wanted to stay and he wanted to leave and walk for “fresh air”. He’s gone now.
I feel like all his time abroad actually gave him a false sense of safety. The countries he lived in were all low-crime and I think he was used to walking around cities at night without fear.

I’m so very sorry. My heart hurts so much for you. Im the one with the son in Spain. I worry about him here too. Truth is terrible things can happen anywhere.

From the news, I know of three cases of drunk US students in the past 5 years dying while walking drunk alone around campuses. Two hypothermia (fell down drunk outside in cold water). One fell in a body of water on campus and wasn't found for weeks. It definitely can happen here.

[Anonymous]

^in cold weather not water.

One of these was a freshman girl who graduated from our high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I studied in Spain in an era where no one had phones. I survived.

I studied in Barcelona and found pickpocket hands in my pocket once, my purse being quietly lifted from the restaurant chair next to mine once (a by-stander made the thief put it back and leave) and my suede jacket being stolen off my bar stool once. A colleague got her wallet stolen out of her purse in a movie theater with the purse between her feet. So many friends' wallets gone. Several friends' purses gone from their stroller. A decade earlier, on a family trip, we had our (non-Spanish) car broken into within an hour of arriving to Barcelona. Petty crime in BCN is the worst I've experienced, but I still love the city.

Why do you love it? I don’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This hits so close to home and my heart. My son recently was at the exact same popular nightclub Shoko on the beach in Spain. They had a table, it was hot and packed. He left his phone and friends, went outside to get fresh air thinking they’d let him back in because of purchased table. The bouncers refused because the line to get in was 200 long. So he was separated from phone, apple wallet and friends. He had no cash for taxi, no maps spoke no Catalon. After four hours of wandering around Spain he finally found two girls who spoke English who gave him directions to his hotel where he arrived safely scared but exhausted and went to sleep.

Back home in the states I could see on Life 360 that he hadn’t moved from the club in 7 hours. Waited for the club to close and when he didn’t move, knew there was a problem. Had his friends scour the beach for him in the dark in groups worried he was in the ocean because it was so close to where his phone was pinging. Finally heard from him after 15 hours when the club reopened and he retrieved his phone at 3pm Spain time. Was so upset he didn’t find a way to contact me sooner. It was the longest most terrifying night of my life.

That same night one of his friends wallet and phone were stolen. He was also held up by knife point in Italy weeks later. If you have a child studying abroad or visiting foreign countries, you must drill into them street smarts, a few important phrases in the native language, have names and phone numbers of the kids they are with, name of hotel, flight info, rules for check in or please do not let them go. We made mistakes by not doing those things. It’s not Disneyland. They can not go anywhere without their phone. They need their phone in a safe interior pocket at all times and CASH! Such a lesson to learn. Thankfully my son was not drunk so that he couldn’t function. If he had been, my heart lurches and breaks at the thought. This child could have been my boy. I am shaken to the core. This should have never happened but it so easily does. It’s so easy to be caught up in the excitement and glamour of a foreign country. Kids will be kids. Such a beautiful boy who sounds like he was a really great kid. Praying for this family with all my heart. Devastating.

This is why it’s important to have your college kids location. They’re a vulnerable group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never let my daughter go away to a spring break destination, that is for sure. No good can cone from hundreds and hundreds of drunk teens together, without adult supervision.

Bingo… Also, nothing good happens after midnight.

He was 20 y/o college student, not a teenager. Hard to not let a 20 y/o travel for spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I studied in Spain in an era where no one had phones. I survived.

I studied in Barcelona and found pickpocket hands in my pocket once, my purse being quietly lifted from the restaurant chair next to mine once (a by-stander made the thief put it back and leave) and my suede jacket being stolen off my bar stool once. A colleague got her wallet stolen out of her purse in a movie theater with the purse between her feet. So many friends' wallets gone. Several friends' purses gone from their stroller. A decade earlier, on a family trip, we had our (non-Spanish) car broken into within an hour of arriving to Barcelona. Petty crime in BCN is the worst I've experienced, but I still love the city.

Why do you love it? I don’t get it.

These events just train you to be aware of your surroundings and your belongings in a very different way. It took me decades to not hold onto my purse so tightly in dc. Here, I'm not worried about being magically invisibly robbed but grievously injured or worse in the process, so I outright avoid even carrying a purse if I'm out after dark, and I still check for my coat and pockets way too frequently once I'm in a restaurant/bar.

[Anonymous]

It’s easy to say don’t ever get separated, always stick together but when you’re young and have had a few drinks it’s so easy to lose one another especially at a crowded nightclub and then just stumble home not thinking about the whereabout of your friends. It’s good to at least have a friend be designated as the sober one for the evening to keep an eye on the others who are drinking. We did this as a group when we went to Mardi Gras in my twenties. One of the guys we were with pretty much stayed sober the entire time and watched out for the others.m. Now that my daughter is close to heading off to college this and the other stories of kids falling into bodies of water or falling victim to a crime is very scary.