Advertisement A decade later, family continues search for missing son Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A decade later it remains a mystery: a man with ties to Nebraska who disappeared on a trip to China. Family members now wonder whether he was kidnapped and if North Korea may be involved.Congressional delegations from Nebraska and Utah are asking the U.S. State Department to reopen the case.Video: Officials want to reopen case of Nebraskan missing in ChinaOne of the last known photos of David Sneddon was taken in the summer of 2004, just days before the 24-year-old, who was born and raised in Lincoln, vanished without a trace while hiking in China near the Tibet border.“In many respects, it would almost be easier if we found a body and he was dead. It would bring closure. I'm a closure person. We just don't think he is dead,” said Kathleen Sneddon, David’s mother.Sneddon’s family detailed how they traveled to China shortly after his disappearance and talked to witnesses, including a guide.All of them disproved the original explanation Sneddon fell to his death into the tiger leaping gorge.“And confirmed David completed with gorge with him and actually finished the trek with him after the gorge,” said Michael Sneddon, David’s brother.But that left bigger questions.“Why would he disappear and who would be responsible?” said Michael.A group investigating a series of Japanese kidnappings believes it has the answer. They contacted the Sneddon family.“(They) said, ‘I think your brother has been abducted by North Korean agents,’” said Michael.At first the family didn’t believe it, but then when they considered David was fluent in Chinese and Korean, they thought he would be quite a catch to train spies.“David’s linguistic skills, with a Midwestern accent, would be very useful in that part of the world,” said Michael.For years the Sneddon family has pleaded to the U.S. State Department for information and help. The recent release of an Ohio man detained by the North Korean government made them even more determined. On Monday, the congressional delegations from Nebraska and Utah sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry.They haven’t given up on their loved one.“I wouldn’t dare face him someday and say, ‘We gave up hope and stopped trying,’” said Kathleen.