The search for a retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who disappeared on the Greek island of Amorgos was stepped up Friday with the arrival of two “waves” of volunteers from Southern California.
The additional volunteers come days after the missing man's brother pleaded in a YouTube video for the U.S. government to provide help.
“I need help here and I don't think I'm asking for much,” Oliver Calibet said in a video posted Sunday. “This is an American citizen who needs to be brought home… I just want to find my brother. Please support in any way you can.”
“This could be your brother,” Calibet said.
Albert Calibet, 59, of Hermosa Beach, was reported missing on June 11 after he embarked on what was expected to be a four-hour hike and never returned.
His disappearance has sparked a major search effort on the Greek island and family and friends have traveled to help locate him. A GoFundMe fundraiser was organized to post updates and raise money to further help Calibet's rescue.
A Friday post on the fundraising page said the second wave of volunteers had just arrived after completing three flights and one ferry ride for a total of 30 hours of transcontinental travel. It's unclear exactly how many Southern California volunteers are participating in the search.
“It's the 11th,” Oliver Calibet, brother of the missing man, said in a video. “We're going up and down these walls… and we're just looking, and we're going to keep looking.”
Albert Calibet worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's traffic services bureau from 1998 until his retirement in 2018, according to a statement issued by the department. After his retirement, he worked as a part-time employee.
He was no stranger to Amorgos and visited the island “almost every year” for the past decade, according to Popi Despotidi, the island's deputy mayor of tourism.
“It's strange because it's not a person who walked the route for the first time,” Despotidi told the Greek Reporter. “He knows Amorgos better than I do.”
According to the Greek Reporter, Albert Calibet left around 7 in the morning to undertake the walk. When he had not returned around 3:30 pm, a friend of his reported him missing.
Although he was walking with two cell phones, Calibet did not respond to attempts to contact him by phone. According to news reports, the last known contact with him was when he sent his sister a photo of a trail sign.
In a statement, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna expressed hope that Calibet will return home safely.
“We are actively collaborating with multiple agencies abroad to provide assistance in the search for Deputy Calibet and will use every resource we have available to bring him back to those who love him,” Luna said in the statement.
Times staff writer Summer Lin contributed to this report.
