In a concerning turn of events, four Vietnamese teenagers participating in an exchange program in South Australia have gone missing over the past month, raising alarms among authorities and their host families. The latest disappearance involves 17-year-old year 11 student Sunnie Nguyen, described as "shy" and facing challenges with English.
Sunnie vanished after having dinner with her host family on Monday night, leaving her host mother, May Zervaas, shocked when she discovered her absence around 11 pm. The teenager departed with a backpack containing essential items such as her laptop, crucial identification documents, and clothes. Adding to the mystery, Sunnie's phone is switched off, and her social media accounts have been deleted.
Despite the absence of forced entry, most of Sunnie's belongings, including her medication, remain untouched in her room. Mary Zervaas, May's daughter, expressed deep concern, noting Sunnie's reliance on others for translation due to her limited English proficiency.
The Zervaas family promptly reported Sunnie's disappearance to the police at 11:30 pm on Monday, initiating an investigation into the string of missing Vietnamese exchange students. Authorities are exploring the possibility that some of the teenagers may have traveled interstate, although they currently discount any direct connection between the disappearances.
In a statement, South Australia police emphasized, "All lines of inquiries in the investigations indicate that some of these youths may have traveled interstate and still remain there." They further assured the public, stating, "There is nothing currently identified in any investigation that would indicate these youths are in immediate danger. South Australia Police are working with interstate policing counterparts to help locate these youths."
Sunnie's host family is anxiously awaiting any news and hopes she will reach out to assure them of her safety. Meanwhile, a Vietnamese community leader in Adelaide, Lien Nguyen-Navas, speculates that the missing students might have embarked on a journey during school holidays, offering a glimmer of hope for their families.
"I hope that this is a case of, because of school holidays, kids, 17 years old, want to get together to go somewhere and not (tell) anyone," Nguyen-Navas expressed optimistically. "I hope that was the case." The investigation remains ongoing as authorities collaborate to locate the missing teenagers and unravel the mystery surrounding their disappearances.
