American Teenager Missing in South America
MALVEAUX: It's a sad story. This is an American teenager on summer vacation, a trip to South America, now missing. And he's been missing for several days. This is August Reiger. He's 18-years-old and he's from Oklahoma. And he just graduated, right, from high school?</s>HOLMES: He did, yeah. A real mystery, he was hiking with his folks on a mountain in Ecuador, just literally disappeared. That was on Sunday. Nick Valencia is here. He's been following this bizarre story, joins us now. You talked to the dad. What's the latest?</s>NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, he's very concerned, very anxious. He's holding out hope, but this is such a bizarre story. I mean, this was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, right, in a safe area, Banos, Ecuador, about a hundred miles south of the capital, very tourist-y area, a very safe area not so dangerous. But he went off ahead of his parents. You know, a young teen, 18- years-old, his parents were sort of lagging behind. And they were supposed to meet at the top of the mountain. Once they got there, he wasn't there. It turned to night. He's still not back. That's when his parents starts really started getting worried. Now I asked his father, I said, is there any inclination that you have that perhaps he may have wandered off by himself. He said that's completely out of the question.</s>CHRIS REIGER, AUGUST REIGER'S FATHER (via telephone): No. I mean, no. I just -- that would -- I don't think so at all. I mean, yeah, that just seems like out of the question. The next day we were supposed to leave. We had booked a tour to go into the jungle three nights with a guide. And it was really because of him that we booked that, you know? He is the one who is said he's particularly interested in the indigenous cultures and so forth. And we were supposed to leave on that the next day, and, you know, he was real excited about it. He didn't have anything with him. He didn't have any money. He didn't have phone. He didn't have anything.</s>VALENCIA: And this leisurely hike turned into a nightmare for the family. The -- I just got off the phone with the father. He said the search crews, more than 150 volunteers out there. They are combing the mountain again just to make sure, 100 percent sure, that they haven't missed anything, but it's looking very ominous right now, Suzanne.</s>MALVEAUX: Is there anything possibility of foul play? Do they think he could have been kidnapped or ...</s>VALENCIA: Initially, the father came out. he thought his son could have been kidnapped. But this -- you know, to put it in perspective for our viewers, this is a safe area. Some of the local firefighters even told the family, we have grown up here the whole time -- our whole life and never had a kidnapping for ransom case. The family is hoping, though, there's a good optimistic out come.</s>HOLMES: And it is a mountain area.</s>VALENCIA: It is a very mountainous area, and there's chance that he could fall off that steep slope there or side of the mountain. But the family is just -- they're sticking around there in Ecuador. They're still there and they're holding out hope right now. We hope the best for them.</s>HOLMES: Yeah, fingers crossed.</s>MALVEAUX: Yeah, keep us posted, please.</s>VALENCIA: We will.</s>MALVEAUX: Yeah, thank you, Nick.</s>HOLMES: Thanks.</s>MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.</s>HOLMES: All right. Coming up here on AROUND THE WORLD ...</s>MALVEAUX: Brazilian police firing tear gas and water cannons as 300,000 people come out to protest in Rio de Janeiro. We're going to take you there live, right after this.