Friend who found missing Brit living on the streets of Peru describes moment she recognised him and burst into tears as they are seen reunited for first time
The friend who found missing British tourist Hannah Almond after she disappeared in Peru has told how ran into his arms crying after he found her on Sunday.
Ms Almond, 32 from Grimsby, went missing on Saturday after being violently robbed by locals and left sleeping under a bridge with no money or passport for a month.
She was found on Sunday by Piero Villanueva, who she had met briefly in Lima and who travelled to Cusco to look for her after MailOnline raised awareness of her plight.
'I have just found her. She is safe and well. I'd like to thank the authorities and the people who contacted me so I could help her,' he told Cusco TV 47 immediately after.
'Hannah recognised me and approached me crying and I asked her to leave with me. Thanks God she's safe. [sic]'
He told the outlet that he was 'talking with her mum but she's an elderly lady and we don't want to worry her anymore.'
He said they would now 'see what [Hannah's mother] wants to do' next.
Villanueva had been in contact with the consul and Hannah's friends, working together to follow her movements after she disappeared on May 24.
He had searched for Ms Almond into the night on Saturday around the area she was last seen, the San Pedro market.
Searching from 7pm until 3am on Saturday, they continued their search of the city on Sunday and found Ms Almond slumped on the pavement.
'It is a huge relief that she has been found,' one friend told MailOnline.
'When she stopped contacting people we were worried she had been trafficked and we would never hear from her again.
'After the MailOnline story, a guy she met in Lima who she only knew for about four days caught a flight to Cusco straight away and just started wandering the streets asking after her.
'He found her just asleep on the street, and one of her friends has flown out from the UK to Cusco to try and persuade her to come home. We want her home in the next few days.'
Piero added: 'I met Hannah in Lima, where I come from. I decided to travel to Cusco at the request of her friends and family after seeing her situation online — she was sleeping under a bridge.'
The fashion graduate from Grimsby had been on a yoga retreat to 'find herself' since March when she was attacked by locals and left sleeping rough.
Concerns grew for her last week when angry locals attacked her and set fire to her belongings.
Friends, writing on her GoFundMe page, said she had left for Peru 'hoping for adventure' but instead 'found herself in a terrifying and heartbreaking situation'.
They said she was robbed and assaulted, losing her passport, phone and all of her money.
Struggling to deal with the brazen attack, they said her mental health had 'severely declined' and 'in the midst of a mental health crisis' she had begun 'living under a bridge with a homeless man she befriended' in Cusco.
Even after she was found, friends said she refused to accept assistance, with psychosis triggered by the trauma of being violently robbed leaving her too frightened to engage with officials or locals.
'We know she has been refusing help due to the complexity of her mental health so it is most likely that she will need to placed into psychiatric care before getting a flight back,' they said in an update, with the page still collecting donations.
'This is an ongoing process but we are doing all we can to bring her back safely!'
The story has made national news in Peru with one website reporting the situation has left locals shocked and bewildered.
Mark Atkinson, the British Consul in Peru, told local media Hannah arrived in Cusco in early March as a tourist and did not plan to overstay her visa however her immigration status is now in limbo.
'She is in an illegal situation. Her tourist visa has already expired,' Atkinson explained.
Adding that the embassy is coordinating with local police and has also offered direct support including hotel accommodations and money for food but she keeps returning to the same bridge.
'Sometimes we've paid for hotel stays, given her money for food, that sort of thing. But she always ends up coming back here,' he added.
More than 100,000 Brits travel to Peru every year with most stopping in Cusco which is the gateway to Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail.
FCO travel advice warns a number of Brit tourists have been targeted by armed robbers in recent years. It adds: 'Personal attacks, including sexual assaults, are infrequent but do happen, mostly in the Cusco and Arequipa areas.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
American tourist dies in shamanic ritual in Peru after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea during 'spiritual tourism session' in remote Amazon
An American tourist has died after taking ayahuasca at a spiritual retreat in the Peruvian Amazon. The 41-year-old man died on Monday in Loreto, a region on the border with Brazil, after drinking the trance-inducing brew in a spiritual session. According to the regional prosecutor's forensic pathologist, Narciso Lopez, the man suffered a 'breakdown that led to his death', with the ayahuasca triggering a multi-organ reaction in his body. The ritual is said to have taken place in a hostel in the indigenous community of Santa Maria de Ojeda, which has been largely associated with 'spiritual tourism' in recent years. Ayahuasca, which Lopez warned can cause 'not only death, but also permanent, irreversible damage', is a concoction traditionally used by Indigenous cultures in the Amazon, often for spiritual and healing rituals. The bitter-tasting drink is made from the bark of a vine and the leaves of a bush found in the Amazon that contains N-N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a hallucinogenic. Ayahuasca tourism in Peru has surged in recent years, with dozens of jungle retreats offering the traditional indigenous brew to visitors under the supervision of a guide or shaman. Many tourists seek the drug out because of its reputation as a way to help ease depression and other mental troubles. Amazonian tribes in South America use ayahuasca, or yage, as an important spiritual and medicinal tool. The tragedy comes a year after a British mother died at a Bolivian retreat that specialises in the psychedelic drug. Social worker Maureen Rainford booked a ten-day stay in October 2024 at the Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat, an Amazon commune billed as a wellness and detox retreat. The family of the mum-of-three, who paid £800 for the trip, stressed that she was fit and healthy ahead of the visit. Her daughter Rochel, 32, was told by a resort official named Eric that Ms Rainford suffered a 'medical emergency' while on site. Others told her that her mother collapsed ten minutes after drinking the ayahuasca and she was complaining of feeling ill as her breathing and heart rate dropped. Despite CPR efforts Ms Rainford died an hour after she collapsed with a doctor not arriving until after, the family heard.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
From New York to Sierra Leone: a sister's search for ‘just another missing black woman'
Oluwaseun Babalola remembers the exact moment she started to worry about her sister. It was 14 August 2018 and she was sitting on a sofa in a friend's flat in Queens, New York. She had spent 10 days trying to get hold of Massah KaiKai, who had been due to travel from Sierra Leone, where she lived, to visit her in the US. The sisters messaged or called each other every day, often multiple times. 'We talked about everything and nothing. I would come home to a bunch of voice notes. She would vent or have something very funny to say – she was a very funny person,' says Babalola. KaiKai's silence had been 'very weird' but Babalola had tried to rationalise it – maybe she was in a remote part of Sierra Leone; or had lost her phone. Even when someone answered her sister's phone but said nothing, Babalola didn't panic. 'I thought, maybe it's her but her phone isn't working.' But as yet another text went unanswered that afternoon in Queens, anxiety started to take hold. Their mother, Ayodeji Babalola, was also becoming increasingly concerned. 'We were calling, calling, but couldn't reach her,' says Oluwaseun. After several weeks, Ayodeji flew to Sierra Leone while Oluwaseun stayed in New York, where she works as a film-maker and TV producer. She told herself she needed to stay for work; in retrospect she thinks she was avoiding confronting the reality that KaiKai, 40, had disappeared. 'I think emotionally and mentally I was in a weird place and hoping I didn't have to go. I was scared to go. It would make it real and I didn't know if I had the emotional capacity to deal with it – not just being in Sierra Leone but dealing with my mother's emotions too – I was just very frozen.' Her mother sent the names of detectives she had spoken to in Sierra Leone, and Babalola would email them but received scant information back. 'She [my mother] was taking photos of the detectives, the offices, the handwritten witness accounts – she was like a super sleuth. 'We printed photos in a local paper in Freetown but there was a lot of confusion – we were trying to figure out strategies; who we could reach out to,' she says. KaiKai's phone was found in Sierra Leone after a man called Ibrahim Mansaray who worked for KaiKai was arrested in connection with her disappearance, but the screen had been smashed so it was impossible to access. Babalola suggested the police ask the service provider, Africell, to track the calls; as far as she knows they didn't. It felt like every possible lead was being rebuffed. Babalola decided to join her mother in Sierra Leone to search for answers. But the authorities seemed unwilling to share any information with them. In 2019, the investigation seemed to peter out. 'By 2020 I was feeling pretty helpless. Massah had friends in Sierra Leone but some had left the country; everything was whispers and rumours. I thought about hiring private investigators.' Babalola returned to New York and tried to pick up her life. She moved to a different city, looked after her mother, kept working. She no longer knew who to contact for updates in Sierra Leone. Months passed, then one day someone posted a story about a trial on Facebook. According to a local news report, Mansaray had been sentenced to 50 years in prison after confessing to KaiKai's murder and unlawful burial. No one had told the family that the trial was under way. Remains had been exhumed from the estate where she lived, but were never repatriated and without DNA confirmation in the US, the family say they cannot be sure it is her. In their eyes, KaiKai is still missing. Babalola says there were multiple reasons they were in the dark over so many aspects of the case. They did not know anyone in the country, did not have the money to keep travelling to Sierra Leone or to hire a lawyer and what little information they gleaned seemed to contradict their own inquiries. At the same time, they were trying to 'hold it together' to keep the rest of their lives on track while grieving, all during the Covid pandemic. 'There are so many elements – you are in the middle of a tornado,' she says. 'The political climate [in Sierra Leone] can be difficult to grasp from the outside. Every effort I've made has been in pursuit of truth, however painful, so that whatever the outcome, especially if there are remains [that belong to KaiKai], there can be some form of resolution for our family.' This year, Babalola released a short film called Fighting Giants about the attempt to find KaiKai. The film follows Babalola and her mother, played by actors, over one day, as they attempt to piece together what happened. Much of the script is based on conversations they had with the authorities – including the attorney general and police. But there are also fantastical elements: a ghostly figure appears on the road as they take a tuk-tuk through the city. 'My background is in documentaries and I could have made a purely factual film – but I wanted more freedom to show how grief might manifest visually,' says Babalola. KaiKai was eight years older than Babalola and felt 'like a second mother' when they were growing up. 'In photos I was always on her hip – she was always carrying me like I was her baby. I don't think that was expected of her, I think she naturally took care of her little sisters – she looked out for us and was very motherly in that way.' Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion As adults, their relationship shifted on to a more equal footing and they became close friends. They were similar in many ways, creative and dynamic, and more extrovert than their middle sister, Ifeoluwa Babalola. The three girls were born and raised in the US but their parents ensured they felt like proud Sierra Leoneans too. If they ever doubted themselves, their mother would remind them of their heritage. 'Being African was always a positive thing – any doubts I had, my mum would say, 'You know who you are and where you're from, you're an African child and you're my child.' 'I think our parents tried to instil courage and confidence because they knew how discouraging the world can be.' It worked. The sisters pursued their dreams – Oluwaseun went into film-making in New York, Ifeoluwa became a musician and KaiKai moved to Sierra Leone to launch a business that combined her love of fashion with her entrepreneurialism, employing women 'to bring African fashion to the US'. She collaborated with American Apparel on a limited edition T-shirt collection. Before her disappearance she had been due to become executive chair of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency in Sierra Leone. Making a film was an obvious response for Babalola. 'I am a film-maker, that is how I express myself,' she says. But it was also a way of exploring the misogyny she and her mother encountered from the authorities. 'I was met with a lot of resistance. It felt very patriarchal. [I saw the film as] a good way to talk about how institutions aren't really working for their citizens. But it's not just institutional, it's society too. 'I am based in the states; my sister disappeared in Sierra Leone, but it's an everywhere story. Misogyny and racism are global issues. We're not stopping to see the humanity in people [when] black women or Indigenous women go missing. We don't see the value in women, especially black women.' She hopes the film will encourage others to tell their stories, something she is already doing through her non-profit organisation, Kosinima, which offers grants to black film-makers around the world, especially women. In Babalola's mind the 'giants' of the film's title were society, misogyny and grief. 'Grief is always going to be there – sometimes I wish I could ask someone to hold it [for me], just for an hour. And sometimes friends do, but it feels there is a limit to that – and grief doesn't have a limit, so I have to sit with it by myself.' But when a friend said she thought the giants were her and her mother, she gained a new perspective on her experience. 'It gave me a boost. I think I had always thought, well, of course, we just did what we had to do [in the search for KaiKai]. But we were so determined; we were the giants trying to get through this ordeal.' Fighting Giants is available to watch online at the NewFilmmakers+ NY spring screening series until 30 June
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Body found in search for missing Pheobe Bishop as police bodycam video shows her flatmate being arrested for her murder
MISSING teen Phoebe Bishop's body has been found near the area where she was last seen. The heartbreaking discovery comes just hours after her two housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley were arrested and charged on suspicion of murder. 13 13 13 Police were searching close to Good Night Scrub National Park, near Gin Gin, in Queensland, Australia, this afternoon before finding human remains at 2:30pm. They have not yet been identified, but cops are now talking to the family of the missing teen, who had not been seen in nearly a month. A crime scene has been established where the tragic teen was found, and forensic examinations are ongoing. Police are still appealing for anyone with relevant information on the case to come forward. Shocking footage showed the moment one of Pheobe's alleged killers was arrested - as police told him to "just listen". Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33, were arrested on Thursday - before Pheobe's sister broke down outside court while making an emotional plea. The Australian teen's housemates have each been charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. 17-year-old Pheobe, from Gin Gin, north of Brisbane, Australia, has not been seen or heard from since Thursday, May 15. She was supposed to board a flight to see her boyfriend on the same day she went missing, but the teenager never actually checked in. Police revealed a grim update as they believe that Pheobe's body was moved "more than once". Pheobe Bishop cops arrest 34-year-old flatmate who was last to see missing Aussie teen on explosive journey to airport Her corpse is said to have been in the Good Night Scrub National Park at one point before being relocated. Dramatic footage released by Queensland Police on Friday showed a dishevelled Wood, without any shoes on, being led out of what is said to be his parents' RV. Recorded at 7:20pm on Thursday in the Bundaberg area, the alleged killer is seen following cops without resisting. But a policeman is later heard telling Wood: "Just listen to me." The rest of the clip's audio is edited out, and it is unclear what provoked the policeman to say this to Wood. There is also an unidentified figure in the caravan wearing orange shorts, standing behind Wood as he talks to one of the cops. 13 13 13 Wood is wearing a black graphic T-shirt with grey sweatpants as one officer grabs his arm and escorts him out. After being taken out into the dark, the "Detective Sergeant with Bundaberg Child Protection Investigation Unit" makes the arrest. The officer says: "I'm placing you under arrest for the homicide of Pheobe Bishop". Wood is then seen sitting alone at the back of an unmarked police car. Both Wood and Bromley appeared at Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning, and will return to court on August 11. Outside the building, Pheobe's heartbroken sister Kaylea Bishop said her sibling was 'loved and missed' dearly. The 18-year-old desperately pleaded for anyone with information on the case to come forward. Kaylea said: 'I don't know what to say, but if you've got any information about Pheobe, or the car or anything like that, just come forward. "We just want her home." Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and were planning to move in together last year. Also on Friday, Pheobe's devastated mum Kylie Johnson paid tribute to her daughter Kaylea for bravely speaking out. Johnson said on Facebook: "Kaylea your strength, determination and dedication to bring Phee Phee home is such a reflection of your fierce love for your sister." Cops are now set to allege that Wood, Bromley and Pheobe were all in the car when it arrived at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Airport in the morning of May 15. Wood previously told the Daily Mail that Pheobe convinced the couple to pull over so she could do her makeup. They then pulled over, less than a kilometre away from the airport, before Wood and Bromley left her and went for a walk "for five minutes". After returning to their silver Hyundai, they claim she had "disappeared". But police now believe that the trio never actually left the car. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said: "Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport, and three people never exited that vehicle." 13 13 13 Australian teenager Pheobe was supposed to board a flight on May 15 to see her boyfriend - but mysteriously she never checked in. The trio had an explosive drive to the airport according to Wood, which was the last time anyone had seen her. A family member said: "Her phone has been switched off from this point. "She hasn't contacted anyone at all, no one has seen her." The trio had been living in a derelict pad together, which cops have now declared a crime scene. Her distressed mum, Johnson, made a series of heartbreaking pleas begging anyone with information to come forward. She also claimed that her daughter's sudden disappearance was out of character. 13 13 13 The teen was supposed to fly to Brisbane and then to Perth to see her "high-school sweetheart" boyfriend but CCTV footage showed that she never entered the airport. Her social media accounts have also not been active since she went missing. And her last bank account activity was recorded on May 14, the day before she disappeared. Bromley had previously been arrested after police allegedly found weapons in her silver Hyundai ix35 - the car which has been at the centre of police focus. The day before, a new number plate was discovered to have been painted and taped over the Hyundai's original plate. Bromley appeared in the Bundaberg Magistrates Court last Monday, after cops alleged they found a shortened firearm, ammunition and two replica handguns inside her grey Hyundai. She was charged with two counts of authority required to possess explosives, and one count each of possessing and acquiring restricted items and unlawful possession of weapons. Additional ammunition was also reportedly found at the home. Pheobe Bishop timeline by Harvey Geh May 14: Pheobe Bishop's last known bank transaction takes place. May 15: Pheobe is reportedly dropped off near Bundaberg Airport's terminal by her housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley, in order to catch a flight to Brisbane and then to Perth to visit her boyfriend. May 15, 8:30am: Pheobe makes a final phone call to her boyfriend before her scheduled flight. Her phone is then switched off and has remained inactive since. May 15, post-8:30am: Pheobe fails to check in for her flight. CCTV footage confirms she did not enter the airport terminal. May 16: Family and police initiate search efforts. Pheobe's social media accounts show no activity during this period. May 24: Nine days after disappearing, Pheobe's distressed mum pleads the public for information. She says she is "absolutely begging anyone with any information to contact the Queensland Police Service". May 25: The search effort is widened to cover more area and homicide officers are brought in to help. June 4: Police call off the "physical search for Pheobe, who has now been missing for three weeks. June 5: Bromley and Wood are both arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse
