When U.S. citizens Luda and Rome Gimelfarb’s son David disappeared after heading on a hike in northern Costa Rica, they never thought they would still be searching for him eight years later.

The couple continues to hold out hope they will locate their son whom they say they feel is still alive.

On August 11, 2009 David Gimelfarb set out for a hike in Rincón de la Vieja National Park, never to return.

Nothing left behind in his hotel – Hacienda Guachipelín – suggest the young man, who was born December 2, 1980, had been under any stress or trouble when he headed out.

He left behind in his hotel room his passport, cell phone, and $600 dollars as well as his personal belongings. The rental car he was driving was in the parking lot of the Park, according to reports in local media. There were no signs of foul play or anything suspicious at the hotel or parking lot.

Yet Costa Rican police and investigators have no answers regarding David Gimelfarb.

On this Mother’s Day in Costa Rica, David’s mother sent a message in a report published by CRHoy.com asking Costa Rican mothers to help her look for her son, and said she hopes no mother ever has to experience what she has over these past eight years of hoping and waiting.

The disappeared man’s parents come each year to Costa Rica to check on any new information investigators may have come across, and while in the United States they are active on social media and email for clues and to further aid in investigating their son’s disappearance.

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) maintains communication with the family, said the report on CRHoy.com, as does a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who resides in Panama and handles cases involving U.S. citizens in the region.

The couple continues to offer a US$100,000 reward for the person who provides them with information leading to finding their son.

The young man’s father asked people to contact the U.S. embassy, ​​the OIJ, or send an e-mail to [email protected] if they have any pertinent information or clues.

The Gimelfarbs won’t rest until they find the answers to what happened to their son eight years ago in the Rincón de la Vieja National Park.