“Let us know you are ok, as it would mean the world to us, especially for dad who is very seriously ill”.
These are the words of a sister hoping to find her brother 20 years on since his last message.
Alex Ratnasothy, 24, last contacted his family from Kathmandu, Nepal, by e-mail on February 21, 2003, promising to get in touch again from the base camp of Mount Everest.
They did not hear from him again.
Alex’s family has been looking for clues to the whereabouts of their brother and son ever since.
Alex’s siblings, Anna and Joel, who come from Grays in Essex, went out to India and Tibet searching for him, and found out that he was robbed of his money, bag, guitar and shoes at a place called Khari Khola, on the trek towards Everest Base Camp.
After this, he was described as in a highly distressed state. He headed towards the Arun Valley, which is not a tourist area, where he was remembered as asking for free food and accommodation.
It is possible he made it back to Kathmandu or he may have gone to India.
Alex's sister, Anna Crozier, 48, a GP and a psychiatrist from Maldon, said: “Alex was funny and sociable with a passion for travel but also very serious at times and very careful with his money and possessions.
“This is why I think being robbed of them triggered a breakdown - especially all the films of photos and possessions he had collected on his travels that he was looking forward to sharing when he came back for my mum’s birthday in April.
“Alex’s degree was in Computer Science. He was working in IT before he left home, saving up for his year-long trip abroad.
“He was 22 when he left on April 17, 2002, and was due to come back on that date in 2003.
“He spent time in South East Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Burma.
“He arrived in Kathmandu on February 20, 2003, and sent his last email on February 21. This was the last we heard.
“He last drew out money on February 22nd. The £1360 in his account has remained untouched. He was not on his return flight home and hadn’t cancelled it.”
Alex’s Irish passport - his mother is Irish and his dad comes from Sri-Lanka - was found in a trekking office, where he had asked to apply for his visa to Tibet.
His family believes that he could have easily crossed the border into India without it and blended in.
Mrs Crozier, who spent 10 months abroad looking for her brother, said she had “mixed feelings” as the 20th anniversary of Alex’s last message approached.
She added: “I still have hope that Alex is alive. Now, when my father, who was close with Alex, is very unwell and may not have long left to live, it just seems even more tragic that he won’t know what happened to his son.
“Some part of me thinks that Alex was utterly devastated after the robbery and for some reason didn’t want to contact us.
“Until there’s no confirmation where his body is, we have hope that he’s alive.”
Mrs Crozier says to her brother: “Alex, I miss you and think about you every day. No one is angry with you. We all love you very much.
“Of course, we want you to come home but if not, it would mean the world to us if you were even only able to just send a message to let us know you are ok, especially for dad who is very seriously ill right now.”
If you know where Alex can be, please contact annaratnasothy@hotmail.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here