Four Indian-Americans vanish during road trip in US, multi-agency search underway

Four Indian-American senior citizens have gone missing in the United States while on a road trip from Buffalo, New York, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — prompting a growing multi-agency search operation across state lines.

The missing individuals — identified as Asha Divan, Kishore Divan, Shailesh Divan, and Gita Divan—were last captured on surveillance footage at a Burger King outlet on Peach Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 31. The footage shows two members of the group — a man and a woman — entering the store, where they also made what is believed to be their final credit card transaction, according to a report by WTOV News9.

The family was traveling in a light-green 2009 Toyota Camry with New York license plate EKW2611. Authorities confirmed they had visited a temple in Pittsburgh before heading toward their next destination — Prabhupada’s Palace Lodge Hotel in Moundsville, West Virginia. They never arrived.

Marshall County Sheriff Mike Dougherty said the disappearance was reported earlier this week and that several leads are being pursued by local and surrounding law enforcement agencies. “We have a few leads, but have not yet located the missing persons,” Dougherty told the Ohio-based station.

Search efforts are expected to intensify with aerial teams, helicopters, and ground crews mobilized to comb through the final leg of the group’s route — particularly a rugged 22-minute stretch near the hotel, described as “difficult terrain.”

Sibu Nair, Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs at the Office of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, raised the alert in a Facebook post, urging anyone along the expected travel route to report sightings or relevant information. “If you are in the area or along their expected route, especially the final stretch, please keep an eye out,” he wrote.

Officials have appealed to the public to contact the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department with any information that may assist in locating the missing individuals.