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A British teenager is missing after secretly boarding a one-way flight to Malaysia last month, and his family say they haven't heard from him since
David Balisong, a 17-year-old student from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, vanished on 6 June after leaving home early that morning.
He told his younger brother he had "some stuff to do at school" but instead, flew alone from Manchester Airport to Kuala Lumpur, reportedly with only 1,200 pounds (approximately RM6,930) in his bank account, according to MailOnline.
His parents, who were unaware of his travel plans, said there were no warning signs and are now desperately appealing for him to make contact.
"The emotion feels like a tsunami; we never saw any sign of this coming. We just woke up, and the next thing, our son was gone," his mother, Minerva, 50, a critical care nurse, was quoted as saying earlier this week.
"We just want him to make contact and to know we're not angry with him, we love him and care for him more than he knows.
"We can't wait to hear from him or see him. We won't ask him to come back to the UK if he doesn't want to, but we just need to know he's safe," she added.
David Balisong (centre) with his parents, Minerva and Lorenzo.
Image via MailOnlineDavid was born in the UK to Filipino parents. He has no known connections to Malaysia.
His family raised the alarm after he failed to return home on 6 June, and they discovered he had taken his passport.
Police later confirmed he had left the UK alone and was granted a 90-day visa upon arriving at KLIA.
According to his mother, David was an ideal student and son who preferred staying at home.
"He's never not come home before. When he does go out, he asks permission and keeps us updated. He was in the middle of his A-level exams and was possibly a bit stressed, but no more than any student. We thought he had gone to school because his exams were ongoing," she said.
A family friend has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for their travel to KL to assist in the search
The campaign has raised 1,933 pounds (RM11,176) from 60 donations, with a target of 2,200 pounds (RM12,720), according to a check done by SAYS.
