
Matthew VanDyke, 31, last spoke with his family March 12, before he sent GPS tracking coordinates that placed him near the eastern Libyan oil town of Brega. His mother, a retired schoolteacher in South Baltimore enlisted the help of Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger to raise the profile of the case.
VanDyke was working on a book of his travels, and his family says the final chapter was to be on his trip to Libya, the Washington Post reports.
Last week, the Libyan government released four reporters held since April. The journalists reported that a comrade -- photojournalist Anton Hammerl -- was shot and left to die when they were detained. Libyan officials maintain they have no information about Hammerl, who had South African and Austrian citizenship.

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