Ollie McAfee, a 29-year-old Irish bicycle traveller, was last seen near the town of Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev Desert in southern Israel on November 21 last year. A few days later his belongings – including camping gear, bicycle, computer, wallet, keys, diaries – were found scattered in the desert about sixty kilometres from where he was last sighted.
His passport, phone and sleeping bag have not been found. McAfee was due to fly home to the UK on December 1 but has seemingly vanished.
In January, our landlord on Vancouver Island told me about a bulletin on the BBC that I’d be interested in. Upon finding the story online I was struck by the accompanying photo of McAfee the day before he disappeared. At first blush I thought it was me. So did Vix. The photograph, taken in the harsh desert light, shows a fit, dusty traveller straddling a bicycle loaded with faded gear bags. Tangled hair protrudes from McAfee’s helmet as he engages the camera with a wry grin; or grimace. What happened subsequently remains a mystery.
Journey of discovery
McAfee, a devout Christian and member of an evangelical congregation, had left the UK in early 2017 on what is described as a journey of discovery.
He had suffered with depression and was hoping to find himself, to reconnect to God. In the process he had ridden 14,000km across Europe, flown to Mexico and then onto Israel, which he reached in late October.
Read the article in Echo NetDaily.