US Offers $6M Reward for Missing American Writer in Afghanistan

DID Press: US has reactivated two separate rewards totaling $6 million for information related to the disappearance of American writer and researcher Paul Edwin Overby Jr..

According to a statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Overby disappeared in May 2014 while conducting research for a book in Afghanistan’s Khost Province. Before vanishing, he had reportedly indicated that he might also travel to Pakistan for further research.

Overby previously authored a nonfiction book on Afghanistan titled Holy Blood: An Inside View of the Afghan War. His wife, Jane Larsen, said he had been working on a second book about Afghanistan and hoped to interview Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs said efforts to locate Overby are continuing even after 12 years since his disappearance in Khost.

The statement noted that his family has endured years of uncertainty regarding his fate. Officials also said Overby suffers from hearing impairment and requires medication.

The 83-year-old writer is reported to speak English, German, and Pashto.