Friends and family are requesting assistance from the public to find Frank Guzman, a University of Texas PhD student, along with his wife, Caroline Katba, who have been unaccounted for since late July, based on information from the Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse Bulletin.

According to Guzman’s sibling, Liz Guzman, they lost contact with the couple around July 22 while they were traveling in Mexico.

In a discussion with the Austin American-Statesman, part of the YSL News Network, Guzman explained that the couple had been driving through various countries in Latin America heading to Chile, where Frank was set to conduct research for his doctorate at UT.

Guzman mentioned that the couple regularly communicated with their family through texts and photos, but on July 22, they stopped responding on WhatsApp. The last update was received earlier that same day.

“He informed me he would arrive at his next hotel by about 3 p.m., which is 4 p.m. our time, and might call around then,” Guzman recounted. However, that call never came.

Throughout the summer, both families attempted to reach the couple without success. Initially, they presumed that a loss of service might be to blame as they traveled deeper into Latin America. Yet, their concern heightened when a UT professor reached out to Guzman’s father to mention that Frank had missed class.

“My brother has invested 12 years into this degree; he wouldn’t just abandon it,” Guzman articulated.

According to Guzman, a security team hired by the University of Texas states that the last known sighting of the couple was in Coatzacoalcos, a city in Veracruz, Mexico. She noted that the security team reported no evidence of them exiting Mexico as they had intended to do on July 22.

Guzman has filed missing persons reports for his brother in both Mexico and Texas, and Katba also has a missing person report filed in Mexico. Additionally, Guzman has reached out to both the U.S. Embassy and the FBI.

Frank Guzman is an anthropology graduate student at UT’s College of Liberal Arts. His LinkedIn profile states that he has been enrolled since 2020, having previously studied at Penn State University and Stanford University. Katba is in the process of starting her own business, Guzman mentioned.

According to UT spokesperson Mike Rosen, the university cannot address specific cases due to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. However, he noted that in emergencies involving students engaged in UT work or programs abroad, the university activates its International Critical Incident Response Team, which collaborates with the U.S. State Department, embassies, and international agencies for assistance.

“In instances of a missing student, UT will provide support and resources as much as possible to locate and aid the student,” Rosen added.

Guzman is urging individuals with connections to the region to spread awareness about the missing couple, and requests that anyone with information promptly reach out to the family.

“They were simply traveling, and they wouldn’t just vanish without a trace. They had a clear destination,” Guzman emphasized. “He’s just a student, an ordinary guy.”