DETROIT – Family and friends gathered Sunday at Belle Isle to thank those looking for Carla Valpeoz and to pray for her safe return.
Valpeoz is legally blind and will lose her sight entirely eventually. Before that happened, she wanted to see the world. She has traveled extensively, most recently to Peru, where she disappeared.
Valpeoz was last seen on Dec. 12 on a trail near a small village in Peru. She is a 35-year-old social activist and experienced traveler. Multiple witnesses -- a bus driver, a trail employee and an archaeologist -- each saw her on a trail by herself.
Her mother, Maria Valpeoz gathered on Belle Isle with others worried about the missing Detroiter.
"I would like to thank the community of this area," said Maria Valpeoz. "All her friends, all the people that she knows, here and abroad."
Carla Valpeoz has very low vision and uses a cane when she travels. Her family said she would never put herself in a dangerous situation. They pray she is safe.
"It's very important that we keep this alive," Maria Valpeoz said. "I am asking, pleading, that everyone in their thoughts of Carla to be active, be present."
Carla Valpeoz had been in Peru to attend a wedding and do some exploring. No one has heard from her since she disappeared, but her family has hope.
"We know she's out there alive," Maria Valpeoz said.
The State Department said they are aware of her disappearance but cannot comment on efforts to find her.