Virginia teacher, 29, vanishes while preparing for multi-day hike in Peru as family beg for answers

A Virginia teacher vanished while preparing for a multi-day hike in Peru, and now his family is begging for answers to bring him home safely. 

Ian Thomas Treger, 29, was supposed to have completed his hike to Choquequirao Archeological Park around May 20, but his family grew worried after they couldn’t get in contact with him. 

At first, his mother, Michelle Ludwig, thought her son might have been struggling to reach out because of poor cell service in the Andes, she told The News-Gazette. 

She also thought he might have decided to visit the famous Machu Picchu archeological site in Peru, Ludwig mentioned. 

‘I wasn’t too worried because he changes his plans a lot,’ she said, adding that her beloved son is an Eagle Scout who is very familiar with the outdoors. 

According to his Instagram profile, he is also very well-traveled, with his last post showing him in Ecuador on April 16. 

Ludwig said he traveled to Peru after wrapping up his teaching year at Ecuador’s Galápagos Language Academy.

She said he wanted to experience Jubilee Month, a month-long celebration in Cusco, a city in the Peruvian Andes. 

His distraught mother said she notified local authorities that Treger was missing on May 26, but an alert wasn’t issued by Peruo’s national police until June 11 – when she arrived to join in the search for her son. 

‘I really thought something was happening, that they were looking for my son. But they weren’t,’ she told the outlet. 

Two Peruvian police divisions, the High Mountain Rescue Police and the Missing Persons Divison have been assisting in the search for Treger, Ludwig said. 

She has also hired private guides to help look for her child. 

‘It’s been a real challenge finding information,’ Ludwig stated. 

A police alert has described Treger as 5’10”, white, with blond hair and blue eyes. He also has small tattoos that feature two pairs of whale sharks on his right calf. 

Anyone with information on Treger has been urged to call the Peruvian authorities or Ludwig directly. 

She has also launched a GoFundMe to help raise money for her efforts. 

‘Everyone who knows or has met Ian enjoys his sense of humor, appreciates his love of life, is fascinated by his many tales of travel, and will never forget his beautiful smile & bright blue eyes,’ she wrote. 

As of Tuesday evening, more than $26,000 had been raised. 

A local site at Collierstown Presbyterian Church is also collecting donations, per the outlet. 

Treger grew up in Effinger, Virginia, where he was a Boy Scout and eventually became an Eagle Scout. 

He obtained a Wilderness First Aid certification while attending college at Washington and Lee, she told the publication. 

During his senior year, he led one of the school’s Appalachian Adventure trips before graduating in 2020. 

‘He loves the outdoors and prefers to be away from crowds and the destinations popular with tourists. He is as comfortable hiking with friends as he is adventuring alone,’ she added. 

The Daily Mail contacted Peru’s High Mountain Rescue Police and the Missing Persons Division for comment.