(NewsNation) — Since 2018, Carla Valpeoz’s family has been searching for her after she disappeared on a vacation in Peru. Legally blind since childhood, Valpeoz was an accomplished traveler who was determined to see the world and often traveled alone to locations around the globe.
A solo adventurer
She kept in close contact with her family while traveling so they instantly knew something was wrong when she disappeared. Now, they fear time is running out to collect crucial evidence.
Valpeoz, who as 35 when she disappeared, liked to travel to remote places, unafraid to travel alone. A seasoned adventurer, she used her trips to inspire others.
“She would go to some extremely remote places, things that I’ve never done,” said her brother, Carlos Valpeoz. “Anywhere she went, she would establish friendships immediately. People would look out for her.”
After undergoing brain surgery as an infant, Carla Valpeoz could only see shadows, requiring special screens and auditory computers to help her navigate technology.
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Carla Valpeoz’s family supported her travels
But it didn’t stop her from seeing the world or advocating about her experiences on her YouTube channel. She wanted to teach people about how blind people navigate the world and show how capable they could be.
Her family was proud but nervous, though her father, Carlos Valpeoz, said he kept his fears quiet.
“I never told her that because I respected her independence, you know?” he said.
Carla Valpeoz and her brother, Carlos Valpeoz. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz last traveled to Peru. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz climbed Machu Picchu with people she met on her trip. (Valpeoz family) 
Calra Valpeoz and he rnew friends climbed Huayna PIcchu. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla valpeoz frequently made friends on her travels. (Valpeoz family) 
Carlos Valpeoz, her brother, went to Peru to search for Carla Valpeoz. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz’s father, Carlos Valpeoz, searched for her in Peru. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz’s parents went to the embassy in Peru. (Valpeoz family) 
The Valpeoz family went to Peru to investigate. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz, blind since childhood, traveled the world. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz traveled the world on her own. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz encouraged others to travel. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz had a YouTube channel for travelers. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla Valpeoz wanted to show how blind people could travel the world. (Valpeoz family) 
Carla was blind following surgery as an infant. (Valpeoz family) 
Brain surgery as an infant left Carla Valpeoz only able to see shadows. (Carla Valpeoz)
Carla Valpeoz disappears
In 2018, Carla Valpeoz flew from her home in Detroit to Peru, going with a friend to attend a wedding in Lima. Then she continued on her own, visiting the ancient ruins at Macchu Picchu.
“That wedding was kind of an excuse for her to get over there and go see Machu Picchu,” her father said.
Her family knows she made it to the site. Photos show Carla Vapleoz not just visiting the ruins but joining a group of people climbing to the highest peak.
“Huayna Picchu is a very steep, steep climb all the way to the top of the mountain,” her father said. “She went all the way up there.”
The Valpeoz family later retraced her steps, amazed at the climb.
“Everybody that ran into Carla on that day was just ultimately impressed by her, how brave she was, how adventurous she was,” her brother said.
After the climb, Carla Valpeoz and her new friends celebrated with dinner and a night on the town. She was seen by security cameras as the group left a hostel, and more surveillance video the next morning showed her leaving the hostel.
She was helped outside to a waiting taxi and departed alone. It was the last video of her taken at that location.
Searching for Carla Valpeoz
For the Valpeoz family, it was a relentless on-the-ground search when they traveled to Peru to personally re-interview witnesses. The family has set up a GoFundMe to fund their own efforts to investigate after being frustrated by the official response.
They also printed flyers, their efforts turning up more surveillance footage and a ticket logbook.
Those place Carla Valpeoz’s last location on Dec. 12, 2018, in Pisac, Peru, at the entrance to the Incan ruins.
“We know that she got to that point. What happened after that? We don’t know,” her father said.
The night before, Carla Valpeoz sent her last message, a text to her friend.
“I can’t wait to tell you all about it. It was absolutely worth it, 100%,” she said.
The message was followed by increasingly worried texts from her friends when she didn’t return to Lima as scheduled.
As for the family, they are desperate for any information as clues and help are running dry.
Valpeoz family wants more from investigators
“The last time I was there and talked to them, they told me, ‘We don’t want you here anymore,'” her father said. “It doesn’t matter what we know. We’re not going to tell you because we don’t want problems with the police.”
The Valpeoz family says the Peruvians won’t investigate because negative headlines could hurt tourism.
“It’s been an abhorrent attempt at an investigation, and that’s the honest truth about this,” her brother said. “We know that this case can be solved, and it just hasn’t.”
They are also frustrated that the U.S. government isn’t pushing harder with things like getting access to Carla Valpeoz’s phone data before her inactive accounts are deleted. They’re hoping to get information from social media accounts as well as location data from her phone.
They hope it could reveal clues that would help Carla Valpeoz make one last trip, back home to her family.
“It feels like a part of me is missing; it’s almost like I’m missing a limb,” her brother said. “I just want to find her and bring her home.”
