Family of Adelaide man Cameron Twiss launches new push for answers after disappearance in Albanian Alps
The family of a young Adelaide man who disappeared from a popular Albanian hiking trail has hired a private investigator and launched a renewed push to find him.
The family of an Adelaide man who vanished without a trace while hiking in Albania has launched a renewed push to find him, eight months after he disappeared.
Cameron Twiss, 28, went missing on a popular hiking track between the towns of Valbona and Theth in Albania’s Accursed Mountains on October 13, 2024.
When the alarm was raised over Mr Twiss’ whereabouts, authorities discovered his clothes and passport at his hostel in nearby Shkoder.
A two-week search effort conducted by Albania State Police and Mountain Search and Rescue volunteers, using drones and police dogs, scoured the entire path and surrounds but found no trace of Mr Twiss.
Now, Mr Twiss’s brother Stuart has launched a new fundraiser in the hopes of finding answers.
“So far Albanian police have not found any evidence and DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) haven’t been able to help,” Mr Twiss said.
“Our family has now employed private investigators, but despite their efforts, we’ve had no breakthroughs.
“We’re reaching out to ask for help — any financial contribution, no matter how small, would mean the world to us and will go directly toward continuing the search for Cameron.”
The fundraiser has already amassed $5000 of its $10,000 goal.
In a statement released to The Advertiser, Albanian police said local hostel operator Mikel Vuksanaj had filed the missing persons report for Mr Twiss when he failed to recover his clothes after setting off for a hike.
They said Interpol had requested information from authorities and hospitals in Montenegro and Kosovo, but found no trace of Mr Twiss in either country.
In some of his final texts before the fateful day, Mr Twiss sent messages to friend Purnima Flanagan on October 12 in which he spoke about making vodka with a “random Albanian man”.
It is understood Mr Twiss stayed the night in Valbona before setting off on the 17km trail early on October 13, with a group of people he had met in the town who were being led by a local guide.
The group then stopped at a small cafe on the trail, which serves tea and coffee to hikers.
A local guide, who took the other group into the mountains, told The Advertiser that Mr Twiss “seemed very alive, very happy and in good spirits”.
About a third of the way into the hike, at about 8am, he parted ways with the group, which was ascending through difficult terrain to the peak of Jezercë, to continue solo on the busy path to Theth.
Multiple theories have emerged as to what could have happened to Mr Twiss, including whether he could have fallen victim to a bear attack, misadventure or foul play.
An Albania Mountain Search and Rescue Service spokesperson, who participated in the volunteer organisation’s multiple unsuccessful searches for Mr Twiss, said a tourist being killed or injured on the busy path was “extremely unusual”.
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Originally published as Family of Adelaide man Cameron Twiss launches new push for answers after disappearance in Albanian Alps
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