The son of a British businessman and former honorary consul kidnapped by gangsters in Ecuador has flown to Central America to help track him down.
Colin Armstong, 78, was snatched by a gang on Saturday from the luxury home he shares with his glamorous Colombian girlfriend Katherine Paola Santos.
His son Nick Armstrong, who helps run the family estate in North Yorkshire, has rushed to Ecuador to help police locate his father, who has not been seen or heard from since his abduction.
Father and son are directors of the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate near Leyburn in North Yorkshire, which has been the family home for more than 45 years.
There was no answer on Monday at Colin's home there and at a nearby cottage where Nick – a director at nearby Ripon Racecourse – lives.
Colin's daughter Diana Armstrong-Bruns, a real estate agent based in California, (pictured) told MailOnline: 'This is a critical time, we have been told not to say anything to anyone. We just want my dad back.”
In this photo, the couple appears together on a safari vacation before their reported kidnapping
Colin Armstrong, 78, and partner Katherine Paola Santos are pictured together in Jamaica
Mr Armstrong headed the British Consulate in the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil and was honored by the late Queen for his services to his country
A source said: 'Nick is abroad investigating what is going on. We don't know much more about it than we've seen.'
Meanwhile, Colin's daughter Diana Armstrong-Bruns, an estate agent based in California, told MailOnline: 'This is a critical time, we have been told not to say anything to anyone. We just want my dad back.”
When asked if her brother was heading to Ecuador, she said: “I really can't say anything else, we were told not to talk to anyone.”
It is believed that Nick has an extensive network of contacts in Ecuador and will use these to try to help secure his release.
The wealthy businessman was arrested by 15 masked men, reportedly disguised as police officers, before being driven away in their black BMW, which was later found abandoned by the roadside.
Mr Armstrong, head of the British consulate in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil, is pictured on safari before his kidnapping
Colin Armstrong, 78, and partner Katherine Paola Santos are pictured together
Photos on TikTok show wealthy businessman Colin Armstrong, 78, and partner Katherine Paola Santos enjoying a jet-set lifestyle ahead of their kidnapping on Saturday
Local police confirmed that Mr Armstrong had been kidnapped, which came amid a sharp increase in drug-related violence in parts of Ecuador.
Chilling footage posted online shows kidnappers left a blood-stained trail after ransacking Mr Armstrong's remote farm in Los Rios province.
No ransom demands have been reported and Mr. Armstrong's fate remains unknown.
Mr Armstrong headed the British consulate in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil and was honored by the late Queen for his services to his country.
A video reportedly taken at the property known as Rancho Rodeo Grande shows the aftermath of the attack.
The kidnapping is said to have taken place early Saturday morning.
A bomb threat reportedly related to the kidnapping was later reported in the area.
A message from the police on X, the former Twitter, states that officers carried out 'operational and investigative work' in connection with the case.
Photos on TikTok show wealthy businessman Colin Armstrong, 78, and partner Katherine Paola Santos enjoying a jet-set lifestyle ahead of their kidnapping on Saturday
British businessman Colin Armstrong and his girlfriend are pictured together before they were allegedly kidnapped from their home in Ecuador
There are also images of the laughing couple on horseback and posing in front of the Egyptian pyramids (photo)
Mr Armstrong owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate in North Yorkshire, which was his childhood home.
The estate now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors a year to an attraction known as the Forgotten Corner, which was originally built as a private folly.
Mr Armstrong – who is believed to have previously been married to an Ecuadorian woman – has had a long relationship with the South American country where he owns Agripac, a major agricultural supply company he founded in 1972.
His adopted son Leo Morris helps run a restaurant on the family's Yorkshire estate.
Mr Armstrong was awarded an OBE and a CMG by the late Queen in 2011.
Images purporting to show the aftermath of the kidnapping surfaced online shortly afterwards.
Photos on TikTok show wealthy businessman Colin Armstrong, 78, and partner Katherine Paola Santos enjoying a jet-set lifestyle ahead of their kidnapping on Saturday
A woman filming inside the ranch took close-up photos of broken dishes on the floor and a man holding his head.
She then walked into one of the bedrooms where there was blood on the sheets and floor.
As she focused on the stained sheets, she allegedly said, “This is where they hit him.” My God, what is this!'
The honorary consul's car, a black BMW in which the kidnap victims were said to have driven away, was reportedly found abandoned on the road between Baba and the nearby town of Saliter.
The kidnapping is said to have taken place at around 2.45am local time on Saturday morning at Mr Armstrong's ranch, Rancho Rodeo Grande.