UP Merchant Navy Officer Missing in US: Mirzapur Family Awaits Answers After Son Vanishes in Pennsylvania

For Santosh Dwivedi, the last message from his son now feels impossible to forget. In the early hours of May 7, 25-year-old Manish Dwivedi sent a brief text message home, stating that his ship had safely arrived at port in the United States.

It was meant to reassure his family. Instead, it became the final contact before he mysteriously disappeared near a port in Pennsylvania.

Over the last 10 days, Santosh, who runs a small medical store in Mirzapur, has been living through unimaginable anxiety.

What started as a routine update from his son’s voyage has turned into a painful silence that continues to haunt the family.

Since that message, there has been no call, no video chat, and no sign of Manish.

Manish, a second officer in the merchant navy, had been working aboard an international cargo vessel.

According to his father, he was careful not to disturb the family because the ship docked at around 4 am Indian time.

“When the vessel reached the port, Manish sent us a message saying everything was fine because he didn’t want to wake us up at that hour,” Santosh recalled. “That was the last time we heard from him.”

For the family, the ordinary message has now become a heartbreaking memory filled with unanswered questions.

Since learning about his son’s disappearance, Santosh has been desperately trying to seek help from every possible authority.

He has spent days travelling between offices, meeting officials and approaching political leaders, hoping someone can help trace his only son thousands of kilometres away in a foreign country.

On Sunday morning, Santosh met Anupriya Patel and urged her to intervene in the matter.

According to Santosh, the Union minister assured him that efforts were already underway to locate Manish.

She reportedly informed the family that the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in the United States had been contacted regarding the case.

For the Dwivedi family, those assurances are one of the few sources of hope during an emotionally exhausting period.

Manish had spent the last six years building his career at sea after completing his merchant navy training in Mumbai.

His job had taken him across countries and oceans, something his family once viewed with pride and excitement.

The young officer had returned home briefly in January this year, spending valuable time with his parents before leaving again on April 16 for another assignment. According to his father, Manish travelled from Paris for a voyage that was headed toward the United States.

Back in Mirzapur, however, the family is now trapped in uncertainty, struggling to cope with the fear of not knowing what happened to him.

Santosh said he was informed that after the ship docked at a port in Philadelphia on May 6, Manish had gone out to a shopping mall with two fellow officers, both Russian nationals.

“The other two officers returned to the vessel later, but my son never came back,” he said quietly.

According to the family, Manish had always remained closely connected with home despite spending months at sea.

He regularly made video calls to his parents, often speaking with them daily and sharing updates about his work, the ship’s route, and life onboard.

That constant communication suddenly stopped without warning.

“More than 10 days have passed now, and we are extremely worried because he has never disappeared like this before,” Santosh said. “Since May 7, there has been no phone call, no message, nothing at all from him.”

The worried father said he has continuously approached government officials for assistance and first met Anupriya Patel in Delhi on May 11 to request urgent intervention.

The family learned about Manish’s disappearance on the afternoon of May 7 after receiving a shocking phone call from the shipping company that employed him.

According to Santosh, company officials asked whether Manish had contacted the family because he had reportedly been missing for several hours. It was then that the family was informed that although his two colleagues had safely returned to the ship after visiting the mall, Manish had vanished without leaving behind any clue about where he went.