SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A Ukrainian woman is desperate for answers after her brother's sudden and mysterious disappearance.
“I’m feeling terrible. To be honest, I have this anxiety,” said Mariana Popovych.
Mariana says that anxiety grows each day that she doesn’t hear from her brother, Ivan Popovych, who she describes as Ukrainian, 6 feet 3 inches tall, with green eyes.
“He’s a very kind, cheerful person,” she said.
Mariana says the last time she spoke with her brother was on July 27. She says he had flown to Mexico after communicating with a person who promised him a job in the U.S.
As of now, it’s unconfirmed whether Ivan crossed the border or not.
Mariana says his application for the United for Ukraine program, which allows Ukrainian refugees to enter the U.S., was approved as of Aug. 10.
She now fears that the person her brother was communicating with is somehow connected to his disappearance.
“They were obviously influencing him to come, and maybe they picked him up,” she said.
Charges on Ivan’s credit card show purchases in Tijuana and one in San Diego, but his phone has been offline for weeks, minus one concerning social media message.
“His friend tried to call his Instagram and some random person answered in Spanish … so someone has access to his Instagram,” said Mariana.
Mariana says she’s tried contacting officials on both sides of the border with no luck. She’s now turning to the public, pleading for help in finding him.
Anyone with information about Ivan’s whereabouts can reach out to Mariana via email at marianappvch@gmail.com.
ABC 10News has reached out to Border Patrol, San Diego Police, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to see if local agencies have any record of Ivan.
At the time of this publication, the agencies have not responded.
