The last person to see missing Californian woman Nancy Ng alive during a yoga trip in Guatemala has finally come forward, claiming she “warned” the woman not to swim in the lake she disappeared into.
Nancy Ng, 29, disappeared on October 19 while kayaking on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala with a yoga group that included Blazek.
Christina Blazek was also on the lake at the time and has been criticized for her silence since Ng disappeared.
San Bernardino County Public Defender G. Christopher Gardner has now spoken out in defense of his client, insisting that the allegations that she had refused to talk about what happened despite the pleas of the missing woman’s family are not true .
“To say that my client has not done everything she can is not true,” attorney G. Christopher Gardner told ABC 7.
Nancy Ng, 29, disappeared on October 19 while kayaking on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala with a yoga group that included Blazek
A woman who was on the water with Ng previously told investigators that the yoga enthusiast got out of her kayak and drowned. Her ship was located, but there has been no trace of Ng since
San Bernardino County Public Defender G. Christopher Gardner has defended his client — who was traveling — over allegations of her silence since Ng disappeared
Gardner clarified that Blazek did not intentionally go with Ng, but encountered her on the lake. During their interaction, Ng expressed a desire to swim, despite Blazek warning of the rough conditions.
“My client didn’t go anywhere with Ng. They just happened to meet on the lake,” he added.
Blazek’s account shows that while in the water, Ng pushed her kayak away, leading to failed attempts to retrieve it. When Blazek sought help, Ng had reportedly disappeared.
“She tried to tell her not to swim because it was rough out there and there was a good current,” Gardner told ABC 7.
Blazek claims the warning was ignored. Her lawyer confirmed that Ng entered the water, pushing away her kayak, which Blazek then tried to retrieve.
“She kept one leg in her kayak and one leg in the other kayak and tried to get back to her… and got close to her. And then apparently she lost the kayak again and turned around to go back to retrieve the kayak, and when she turned around again, Ms Ng was gone.”
Blazek then called for help, Gardner said.
Gardner dismissed rumors that Blazek was fleeing Guatemala, stating that she had made a full statement to local authorities, emphasizing her unfamiliarity with the lake.
But Ng’s family expressed frustration over Blazek’s lack of communication, making it clear they were only looking for answers and Nancy’s safe return.
The Ng family says they are struggling to accept the Guatemalan authorities’ account of events that Ng drowned during a kayaking trip
Ng works in a local school district helping students with disabilities and is active in both yoga and travel in her personal life
Ng’s family said it is the first time they have received Blazek’s account of what happened that day, after several attempts to reach her.
“If it is what she says and it is an accident, I don’t understand how she could choose to keep my family in the dark for almost four weeks and not just say that from the start,” said Nicky Ng, the younger of Nancy. sister of ABC 7.
“We don’t blame anyone or accuse anyone of anything. “All we want are answers and we want to bring Nancy home,” Ng said.
Gardner said his client was “traumatized” by the experience and needed time to come forward.
‘They tell her that they understand she has been through a traumatic experience, but then they tell her to come forward to help the authorities… and they say in the same email that if she doesn’t come forward, they will let her move forward,” Gardner said.
“I hope she understands that we have no record of what happened because she is the only person who saw what happened and it is not included in the report,” Ng added.
The investigation is ongoing and the FBI continues to interview witnesses in the case.
Earlier this month, the owners of a kayaking company used by Ng before she disappeared said the group she was with “immediately clamped down” after she disappeared.
The FBI has now joined the search, with Guatemalan authorities keen to speak to the woman last seen with Ng or anyone else at the yoga retreat as they have all since left the country.
Lee and Elaine Beal, the owners of Kayak Guatemala, spoke out during the search for 29-year-old Ng, who is feared to have drowned during an excursion on Lake Atitlán – although her family has since said they are struggling have to accept this story.
The Beals said 10 people went on a trip on Oct. 19, but only eight returned with Ng and another woman paddling further into the water.
Ultimately, the woman returned to shore alone, but there was no sign of yoga enthusiast Ng, who has not been seen since.
“No one in the group was interested in talking to anyone,” Lee told Good Morning America. “It was almost like we immediately clammed up and like we weren’t going to say anything.”
The group failed to pay the owners and subsequently all left the country “within twelve hours” of the suspected accident, which Elaine Beal found strange.
‘They didn’t say a word to us. “I just don’t understand that part, I’m leaving in 12 hours,” she added.
The couple described watching the group, with Ng and the female kayaker about 100 meters away. The women continued paddling until they were out of sight.
The next thing the couple saw was a distress signal, before the woman returned alone.
“I witnessed the survivor being led up the stairs,” Elaine added. “She was clearly upset.”
Guatemalan authorities had difficulty finding the woman who was last with Nancy, or the tour guide when they left the country.
The woman previously told investigators that Ng drowned after getting out of her kayak to go for a swim.
Lee and Elaine Beal, owners of Kayak Guatemala, rented a kayak to missing woman Nancy Ng before she disappeared during a yoga retreat in Guatemala, where she is believed to have drowned. They say the rest of the group “didn’t say a word” after the alleged accident
But Ng’s family have come out saying they are struggling to accept the official story, highlighting several baffling details in the case.
In an update posted on a GoFundMe made by Ng’s sister’s partner on behalf of the family, she said: “We are aware of the statement from the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office.
However, it is difficult for us to accept that explanation for a number of reasons. None of the participants we spoke to saw Nancy step out of her kayak into the water.
We have tried many times over the past three weeks to contact the woman who was with Nancy during the incident, but she will not talk to us.
‘The police report we received did not contain a direct statement from the woman. We have yet to see an official statement from her or any other retreat participant.
“This woman’s silence has not only hampered our search efforts, it has made the excruciating three weeks all the more painful.”
Prosecutors have now requested international assistance to locate the woman and the tour operator.
In the meantime, Ng’s family remains desperate for answers and has hired private searchers to scour the area.