Grant Preston|Missing hiker's brother urges increased U.S. involvement in search efforts: "I just want to find my brother"

2025-05-02 03:47:06source:Novacryptcategory:My

The Grant Prestonbrother of an American tourist who vanished while hiking on the Greek island of Amorgos is making an urgent plea for help.

Albert Calibet, 59, a retired police officer who holds duel U.S.-French citizenship, was still missing Tuesday after he set out on a solo hike a week earlier. His brother, Oliver, was in Greece with a small group of friends and family to help with search efforts, and posted a video Monday on YouTube pleading for more help to find Calibet.

But Oliver Calibet said he thinks more should be done by the U.S. government to find his brother. 

"This is a first responder, this a guy that's gone missing. This is a guy that's helped a lot of people throughout his career," Oliver Calibet said in a YouTube video.

Friends and family of Albert Calibet told CBS News that he was familiar with the island's hiking trails, having visited for years. 

"It doesn't make sense. It's like it swallowed him," said Sandrine Cutright, Calibet's sister-in-law.

Robin Winston, a friend of Calibet, said Calibet may have sustained an injury that is preventing him from moving, and stressed the urgency of finding him.

Greece has been enduring a severe heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 104 degrees earlier this month, contributing to the dangers faced by hikers. The heat waves have been so intense that authorities have had to shut down schools.

Calibet is one of several tourists who have gone missing on Greek islands recently. At least three people have been found dead, including prominent British TV doctor Michael Mosley and 55-year-old Toby Sheets from Floral Park, New York. On Saturday, another body was discovered on the island of Samos, where a Dutch hiker had been missing for a week.

According to Reuters, two French women were also reported missing. One of the women contacted the guest house owner where she was staying on Friday to ask for assistance. Ilias Gavanas, the owner, informed Reuters that she had sent him a selfie and a message early Friday morning, indicating that she had fallen.

Meanwhile, despite Calibet not being seen for seven days, his family remains determined.

"I know, probably, the chances are very slim," Oliver Calibet said. "But if there's that 1% ... I just want to find my brother."

Meg Oliver

Meg Oliver is a correspondent for CBS News based in New York City. Oliver is a veteran journalist with more than two decades of reporting and anchoring experience.

Twitter

More:My

Recommend

Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto will be introduced by the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, a day a

How to stop stewing about something you've taken (a little too) personally

Last month, I decided to get a snack from a convenience store. As I walked to the door, there was an

Ten States Aim for Offshore Wind Boom in Alliance with Interior Department

WASHINGTON—If Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s proposed advances for siting offshore windmills are a