Four Indian-Origin Seniors Missing in U.S. Road Trip, last Seen at Burger King in Pennsylvania

U.S. authorities are urgently searching for four elderly Indian-origin family members who disappeared during a road journey from Buffalo, New York to a Hindu temple in West Virginia. The group; Asha Divan (85), Kishore Divan (89), Shailesh Divan (86), and Gita Divan (84) were last seen on July 29 at around 2:45 PM at a Burger King on Peach Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. Surveillance footage and their final credit card transaction confirm the visit.

Travelling in a light green 2009 Toyota Camry with New York license plate EKW2611, they were en route to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold in Moundsville, West Virginia, following a stop at a temple in Pittsburgh. They had already prepaid for lodging at Palace Lodge Hotel but never checked in.

A Pennsylvania State Police license plate reader picked up the vehicle heading south on Interstate 79 shortly after 2:45 PM on the same day. No contact has been made since, and cell tower pings around 3:00 AM on July 31 in Moundsville and Wheeling provided the last digital trace.

Marshall County Sheriff Mike Dougherty said investigators and partner agencies are pursuing several leads, though the family hasn’t been located yet. Search efforts are intensifying, with helicopters and ground teams expected to join across rocky fields near their intended destination.

Authorities have released surveillance stills and vehicle details to the public, urging anyone with information to come forward. A missing persons report has been filed in Buffalo, and the vehicle’s details have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

Leaders, such as Sibu Nair, President of the Council of Heritage and Arts of India, have appealed for public assistance. He highlighted the search area’s “difficult terrain” on a final 22-minute stretch near the hotel and requested residents and travellers to stay aware.

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