Watch CBS News

Frantic Search For Brooklyn Man Who Vanished From Yoga Retreat In Mexico

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A desperate search has been launched for a Brooklyn man who has gone missing from a yoga retreat in Mexico.

As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, the man's wife was pleading Thursday night for help from a cellphone carrier to provide vital information that could lead to her missing husband.

Hari Simran Singh texted his wife, Emily Smith, a photo of himself from a mountaintop in Tepotzlan, Mexico, where the Brooklyn couple had been at a yoga festival.

"He says, 'I'm way up high,' and he's pointing down at the retreat center where I am," Smith said.

Still in Mexico Thursday, Smith told CBS2 by phone that her husband decided to go for a short hike on Tuesday morning. But by Tuesday afternoon, Hari Simran sent his wife another text saying he had walked farther than intended.

With only a liter of water and some trail mix, that was the last anyone heard from him.

"Everyone who knows him, we want to do everything we can, because he's counting on us," said family friend Hari Khalsa.

A family spokesperson told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria Friday they need a helicopter to make it easier to find the missing man.

Frantic Search For Brooklyn Man Who Vanished From Yoga Retreat In Mexico

Friends and family back in Brooklyn were desperate Thursday to get the GPS coordinates of Hari Simran's cellphone from T-Mobile, and Mexican cellphone provider Telcel, to pinpoint exactly where he could be.

"We've done everything within our power, and we are so confused about the process, and confused about why T-Mobile will not release this information that will save my husband's life," Smith said. "This is not a situation of privacy. It's life or death."

T-Mobile told CBS2: "By law, we can only work directly with law enforcement, and privacy laws prohibit us from discussing any specific actions we take. We can confirm we received contact with the FBI and are working with them."

However, on Friday afternoon, the family told CBS2 T-Mobile released all of the data they have from Simran's phone, but his GPS was turned off.

They are now working with specialists to pinpoint his last location picked up by cell towers.

Search parties have been out day and night, and believe they've heard Hari Simran's cries for help. But because of the treacherous terrain, they have not been able to figure out where he is.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.