Talent Buyer Missing

Police in the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Coast Guard are searching for Ben Wu, who handles booking at the 1,250-capacity Webster Theatre in Hartford, Conn., since he was reported missing January 12th while there on vacation.

Wu was last seen at about 9:30 a.m. walking on the beach near Long Bay Beach Resort in Tortola, according to the Hartford Courant. He and other Webster colleagues were reportedly staying at theatre owner Justine Robertson’s vacation home. He was scheduled to fly back to Connecticut January 14th, police said.

A Coast Guard helicopter with thermal-imaging capabilities has assisted BVI police and custom officials as they search the inland, according to police.

Despite the alarm over his disappearance, lawyer Jim Sandler, a friend to Wu and Robertson, said foul play is reportedly not indicated.

"The concern is that he might have been climbing or hiking and have fallen," Sandler told the paper. "They suspected he might have been on the rocks on the south side of the island and had he fallen. That would have been quite dangerous because there is an undertow."

Wu is said to be an experienced hiker but can’t swim.