A mother from Ecuador made a tearful plea for help in finding her son at an RCMP news conference held this morning (April 27).

UBC international student Louis Gonick was reported missing by friends on April 17. His mother, Lupe Carrera, has since travelled from Ecuador to join the search.

The 21-year-old Gonick last had contact with friends on April 16.

RCMP stated that Gonick was last seen at 7:32 p.m. on April 16 when he asked a taxi to drop him off at an emergency pull-off at the side of the road by the Stanley Park causeway.

However, nothing was found during a land and water search near the Lions Gate Bridge.

The search for Gonick has thus far included assistance from RCMP’s West Coast Marine Services, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (Coast Guard), Vancouver Police Marine Unit, Vancouver Police, Transit Police, Vancouver Port Authority, and City of Vancouver Park Rangers. 

A Facebook page has been created for the search for Gonick. The UBC Ecuadorian Students Association and the Ecuadorian Association of British Columbia have also helped to raise awareness by handing out flyers and organizing gatherings.

His banking, social media, and cell phone records have been inactive and there hasn't been any evidence of foul play.

Gonick is described as a Hispanic male who is 171 centimetres tall (5-feet 7-inches) and weighs 64 kilograms (141 pounds). He has brown hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to be wearing a dark blue jacket, a dark blue shirt, blue jeans, and a grey scarf.

Anyone who has information about Gonick is asked to call the UBC RCMP non-emergency line at 604-224-1322 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Messages can also be left at Solvecrime.ca.