Denise Thiem, 41, Missing on the Camino de Santiago Since April 4, 2015 - Spain

Tourist Disappearance: US Woman Denise Thiem Missing in Spain

Jun 29, 2015, 7:35 AM ET

By ABC NEWS via GOOD MORNING AMERICA


ABC US News | World News

The FBI is working with the Spanish national police to find an Arizona woman who disappeared while hiking across a popular European destination.

Denise Thiem, who had recently quit her job to travel the world, was last seen walking along the famed Camino de Santiago, a nearly 500-mile Catholic pilgrimage from France to Spain traveled by hundreds of thousands each year, authorities say.

Denise Thiem's brother, Cedric Thiem, says she was inspired to make the journey after watching the Martin Sheen movie “The Way," which focuses on a father's soul-searching journey on the trail.

Denise Thiem, 41, was last seen in April having breakfast with a man in the Spanish town of Astorga before leaving him around noon, officials say. The day before she disappeared, she had reportedly made plans to continue walking the trail with another man from the pilgrimage, but it’s unclear whether they ever met up.

“She's had a lot of experience traveling,” he brother said. “Everywhere you go there's Wi-Fi. It didn't make any sense that there's no communication whatsoever.”

The U.S. embassy in Madrid, which is helping search, told ABC News, "The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department's highest priorities."

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/tourist-disappearance-us-woman-denise-thiem-missing-spain/story?id=32095884

RELATED ARTICLES:

With U.S. tourist missing, worry spreads on Camino de Santiago in Spain

Originally published June 18, 2015 at 7:02 pm


Denise Thiem (HANDOUT/NYT)

The disappearance of U.S. tourist Denise Thiem has prompted concerns about the safety of the popular Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, which has become a tourism boon to Spain.

By RAPHAEL MINDER
The New York Times

MADRID — Like many thousands of people from around the world, Denise Thiem, a U.S. tourist, was inspired by a 2010 movie called “The Way” when she set out three months ago to walk the Camino de Santiago, an ancient Catholic pilgrimage whose popularity has grown significantly in recent years.

On April 5, Easter, she was supposed to start another leg of the 155-mile trek from the northern Spanish town of Astorga to Santiago de Compostela. She had breakfast with an Italian pilgrim and then went to Mass and watched a religious procession with him, before they parted ways around noon.

The previous day, Thiem had emailed a British pilgrim, whom she met earlier along the Camino, to say she would next walk the few miles west to the village of El Ganso.

That was the last anyone has heard of her. Since then, Spain’s national police have given no further details on the search for the woman, whose last known movements were pieced together by a friend, Tina Ascher.

Read more:

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/with-us-tourist-missing-worry-spreads-on-camino-de-santiago-in-spain/

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Arizona woman disappears on world tour (Video)

Amy B Wang, The Arizona Republic 11:11 p.m. EDT June 13, 2015



PHOENIX — Denise Thiem would begin the final leg of her journey in Pamplona.

For five months, she had been on a round-the-world voyage, a midlife calling that had prompted her to leave her job in Arizona and follow her wanderlust through Singapore, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and France.

From Paris, she shipped home a box of belongings to lighten her load. Next would be the Camino de Santiago, a popular trek through northern Spain.

The Camino takes many routes, but all lead toward Santiago de Compostela in the country's northwestern corner. Thousands of travelers converge on the cathedral there each year, some completing a religious pilgrimage, some simply moved to follow an ancient traditional path.

Thiem, 41, had been intrigued by the Camino ever since watching The Way, a 2010 film starring Martin Sheen that follows his character's soul-searching walk to Santiago after the death of his son.

Read more:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/13/arizona-woman-disappears-world-tour/71202712/

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Arizona woman missing in Spain

Matt Mauro, 12 News  5:33 p.m. MST April 29, 2015



A search is on in Spain for Denise Thiem, a Litchfield Park woman who is missing and hasn't been heard from in almost a month.

"She's always been smart, well traveled," Denise's brother, Cedric, who's in Spain searching for her, said. "This is all kind of a mystery. I think she wanted to go see what's out there and figure out what she wants to do."

Denise left her job in the Valley at a Petsmart a few months ago and started traveling. She kept in touch with Cedric until the beginning of this month when she started to trek El Camino Santiago, a trail that goes across Spain. Since then, though, she hasn't used her credit cards or email.

"In the beginning, I thought maybe it was a physical injury, that kind of thing," Cedric said. "I walked part of it [El Camino Santiago]. I don't see it any different than a normal hike you'd do back home."

But still, Cedric didn't see Denise or find anyone who saw her. He's even gotten the police to tweet about her. So, for now, Cedric's going to stay in Spain and keep searching for his sister and, "figure out what happened and hopefully I can bring her home."

Read more:

http://www.12news.com/story/news/local/valley/2015/04/29/arizona-woman-missing-in-spain/26609059/

Arizona woman disappears on Spain's Camino de Santiago

A 41-year-old woman from Arizona went missing in Spain while on a round-the-world voyage. Denise Thiem was last heard from when she was readying to hike Spain's Camino de Santiago Trail.

VIDEO:

http://www.11alive.com/video/4297605649001/1/Arizona-woman-disappears-on-Spains-Camino-de-Santiago

RELATED ARTICLES:

Family fears 41-year-old American woman was abducted while hiking on popular Catholic pilgrimage route in Spain

.Denise Thiem, 41, was last seen on Easter Sunday, attempting to complete the 155-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in northern Spain
.Her brother Cedric believes she was abducted, citing concerning messages from other women who have been stalked on the trail
.Just a few weeks after Thiem disappeared, two men attempted to abduct a woman jogging near the trail where Thiem is thought to have gone missing

By Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com
Published: 21:23 EST, 25 June 2015  | Updated: 22:46 EST, 25 June 2015


Stalkers: After publicizing Thiem's disappearance, her brother says he received several messages from other women who have been harassed on the pilgrimage

Denise Thiem was last seen on Easter Sunday, parting ways with a traveling acquaintance to continue her journey on a 155-mile Catholic pilgrimage through northern Spain.

Nearly three months later, the 41-year-old's family in Arizona still don't know what happened to her, and fear that she may have been abducted after hearing similar stories from other women who have walked the legendary Camino de Santiago.  


End: Above, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain where the pilgrimage ends


Holy path: Since Thiem went missing, and two men attempted to abduct a woman on the trail weeks later, travelers are being warned not to walk alone on a 15-mile stretch of the trail. Above a view of one stretch of the Camino de Santiago

'It's emotionally draining,' Thiem's brother Cedric told USA Today. 'There's so much unknown and you don't know what to do. You feel helpless and your imagination goes wild because anything is possible.'

Five months before her disappearance, Thiem quit her job at the corporate headquarters of PetSmart and took off for a round-the-world journey, inspired by books like Cheryl Strayed's 'Wild' and the film 'The Way' which stars Martin Sheen as a man who decides to walk the Camino de Santiago.

She started her journey in Asia, visiting Singapore, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam before making her way to Europe, all while keeping in close contact with her brother, who stayed behind in Phoenix to take care of their parents.

~Snipped~



Thiem's brother stayed in Astorga for three weeks before returning to the U.S. on May 3.

He has written to Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake for help with the case. Senator McCain said he had spoken with the U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos and  is 'working with the family on this'. Flake said his office was 'monitoring the situation'.

The family has set up a Facebook page to publicize Thiem's disappearance and a GoFundMe account to raise money to help find her.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3139738/America.html#ixzz3eV4uMkc8

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3139738/America.html

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