Latest News on David

Report from Roy and Kathleen Sneddon December 2005
Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2005 11:55 AM

The Roy Sneddon family traveled to China in September 2005 in our continual efforts to bring David home. We did not expect to locate him during this visit, nor to bring him home; however, our plan was to soften the hearts and open the minds of the local officials in an effort to rekindle the urgency to find David. That was our goal, and we feel that in it we were highly successful. Unexpectedly, we were able to meet with high government officials from both the U.S. and China. We are very grateful for the full cooperation and support from the American Embassy in China and the State Department in Washington, D.C.

Our family, Roy, Kathleen, and seven adult children (Michael, Jannene, James, Katherine, Cameron, Nathan and Jenny), spent nine days in China in our continuing search for David Sneddon. Through the efforts of the U.S. Embassy personnel in Beijing and those of the Consulate at Chengdu, we met with high level Chinese government officials in Zhongdian (Shangri-la) and Lijiang, Yunnan, PRC. In these meetings the siblings were able to share their thoughts and memories about David. For all in attendance, it was an emotional experience. Additionally, in Beijing we met with Ambassador Randt, and we had a lovely luncheon in Beijing with Yafei He, the Chinese Director General of Foreign Affairs for North America and Oceania. In each case we made friends for David’s cause and found people sharing common aspirations for their children. We provided a short document about David's family written in Mandarin for each of the Chinese officials present at our meetings. You may view this as an attachment in English.

In our exit interview with Ambassador Randt we were able to express our gratitude for all the Embassy has done in David’s behalf. We reviewed with him our odyssey across China’s Yunnan Province, and what we feel was a productive meeting with Yafei He. The Ambassador was most gracious, considerate, and interested in our situation. The Embassy and staff of American Citizens Services have gone beyond the “second mile” in their continuing efforts to help.

We feel that our family’s visit to China was significantly more productive and useful than we could have anticipated. In our meetings with the Chinese officials we were able to put a family face on David with his attendant father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Family was common ground with the Chinese officials. They could now empathize, and in many cases hearts were softened in our behalf. As a side note, we find it significant that we were served a lot of hot water, but no tea and in the formal lunch with Yefei He, ample fruit juice (non alcoholic) was available for the traditional Chinese toast.

We retraced the steps David had taken, where he ate and slept and often saw his face on a "missing person" poster. David loved to visit with the local Chinese in their villages. Thus this final comment: Instead of asking "Why did he go alone?", David's siblings now comment, "We know why he came here -- the mountains, the villages and most important the people!"

Thanks again for your continual interest and prayers in our behalf.

Roy and Kathleen Sneddon

August Report now available

This report talks more about David and his interests. It is available in PDF format.

Download below

PDF-English

Executive Report now available

To view the executive report on David Sneddon's disappearance click here.

To download the Executive Report in PDF Format click below

English PDF

Chinese PDF

Thursday, September 16, 2004, 11:39 PM

Report from Roy and Kathleen Sneddon Dec 2004

Our son David L. Sneddon, a returned missionary from the Korean Seoul Mission and BYU student majoring in Chinese, is missing in China. He last communicated with us August 10, 2004 by e-mail from Lijiang, Yunnan Province in southwest China prior to hiking through Tiger Leaping Gorge. Based upon our family’s subsequent search in China, he was last known to have been in the city of Shangri-La (formerly Zhongdian) in Yunnan. We have reason to believe, based upon our search, he is still alive and was detained unwillingly. We have met with Senator Bob Bennett and staff and he has intervened on David’s behalf with the U.S. Ambassador to The People’s Republic of China, Clark T. Randt Jr, Our embassy in Beijing reports that Ambassador Randt has met with the Vice Minister in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reaffirm the U.S. government’s active interest in finding David. We remain hopeful and ask for your continual prayers in our behalf.


In addition, we have posted a day by day first hand account written by the Sneddons about their quest in China under the "Sneddon Family First-hand Account" section. Everything seems to point more and more to the fact that David is alive. Thank you for your prayers!


Starting up the High Trail, Left to Right, Sean, Charlie, Michael Sneddon, and Roy Sneddon.


Michael and James Sneddon on the "High Trail" in Tiger Leaping Gorge. Below you can see the "Low Trail" which is now a paved road.


James and Roy Sneddon in Shangri-La, searching for information on David Sneddon.


Left to right Charlie (Professional Interpreter), Roy Sneddon, James Sneddon, the leader of a Muslim village near Haba, and Sean (Tibetan Guide).

HelpFindDavid.com - Finding David Sneddon Website

Finding David Sneddon

David Louis Sneddon
Born May 3, 1980
Student: Brigham Young University
Part-Time Employee: MultiLing Corporation

Missing: August 14, 2004
Yunnan Province China


View the Press Release.

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