21-year-old UK tourist reported missing in San Francisco

Missing UK tourist sought in San Francisco

Katherine Kerwood, a 21-year-old British citizen, has been reported missing after traveling to San Francisco from London for a sightseeing trip.

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Police Department is searching for a 21-year-old woman from the United Kingdom who went missing during a solo sightseeing trip to California.

Katherine Esther Gamboa Kerwood arrived at San Francisco International Airport on March 31 for a weeklong itinerary that included stops in Sacramento, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz, according to her family. 

While Kerwood told her family on Tuesday that she was staying at a hostel in Sacramento, they later learned she never checked into the facility.

The last communication the family received from Kerwood was a text message on Friday.

"She's generally very responsive and the fact that she didn't message for hours is the first signal," family friend Ali Zaidi told KTVU on Sunday. "Second, when she messaged they said, 'Hey, let's get on the phone,' and immediately she didn't respond."

Kerwood’s father stated that security camera footage from SFO shows her meeting a man carrying flowers upon her arrival. 

The family later discovered she had previously met the man, identified only as David, in the U.K.

The disappearance has been reported to both the San Francisco Police Department and authorities in the United Kingdom.

SFPD officials said they have entered Kerwood’s information into a statewide law enforcement database to alert officers across California.

Kerwood is currently scheduled to fly back to London on Wednesday.