Anyone with links to Serbia PLEASE Help

[HelpInSerbia]

Is anyone Serbian or knows Serbia-
I can't get hold of my son and he doesn't have his phone on him, his friend has it.

This is very unlike him and I am worried sick

Can you text the friend to get answers if signal is patchy? Does he have any medical conditions? From a handhold point of view, I once was travelling and left my phone on top of a hand-dryer in a toilet in Sydney when I was 18 and tried to phone from a payphone the next day to tell my parents I'd lost my phone, but then remembered it was night, so left it another day. Phone was stolen after I left it. I was travelling for months and this was about day 3. Thankfully this was 20 years ago before whatsapp and daily texts so they had no idea. Then I got a taxi home and couldn't remember the name of my hostel as it was on my phone. Doh. So taxi driver drove me to the main hostels until I recognised it. Oops. You live and learn.

Thanks, I am trying to be rational. It might not seem it but I am trying.

I've told friend to go back, it is a backpackers but I'm not sure if they have staff but that is a good idea

That does help. Before phones I would have been asleep non the wiser - I do know that this will probably be a storm in a tea cup, but it is hard right now so I appreciate the hand hold

A backpackers will have staff, and they are almost certainly going to speak Serbian as well.

To check, the time scaling of being missing is hours?

Sorry I'm not holding anything back, I just don't know anymore.

I know friend was worried enough to contact me at 3am- I didn't ask the right questions when he first rang but friend didn't seem drunk at all- I don't know how long he has been missing, just that friend is concerned as they never split up and my son doesn't have his phone- but I don't know why- have text/snap/etc and now waiting.

I'd be as worried as you. Fear isn't always rational. It's a shame the friend phoned you so quickly in some ways. Has the friend gone back to the backpackers? I wonder if your son just needed an earlier night. It's very late there.

Sorry, I quoted/replied to wrong person.

He was heading back, but he knew someone there and they said my son wasnt there.

Sure he'll turn up soon. How old is he roughly? Is this his first trip abroad? Would he have his cards or cash on him to pay for a cab or just use his phone or watch apple/Google pay? If he's got a smart watch his friend might be able to see where he is from the phone?

I have friends there but will need more info before getting them involved. Can you give us some precise information

Location - is he in Belgrade or somewhere else?
Hospital - Did his friend say he was in hospital or are you just trying to see if he was admitted?
What were they doing when they got split up?

Belgrade is generally very safe so I doubt he has come to harm, he is probably lost or went to one of the late night clubs. It's 7am there now so a lot of people will be up and about and they are generally pretty helpful.

How old are they? It seems really odd they’d of contacted you in the middle of the night when there’s absolutely nothing you can do? I wonder what’s provoked that?

Perhaps he’s met someone and gone off for the night? Especially if they didn’t sound overly drunk. How did his friend end up with his phone?

If he’s gone on a night out he can only of been gone a few hours. It’s absolutely petrifying when they are ‘missing without their phones’ but I think We've just forgotten what it’s like to be unable to contact somebody.

Children eh… a never ending cycle of worry!

I can’t help but just wanted to give you a handhold OP. I would be worried too. Hopefully you will hear from him this morning and all will be just fine!

For the friend, apparently dont try to enter wrong pass codes to get into the phone and keep the phone charged just in case it needed to be handed to police if they needed to access it for smartwatch data.

I'm sure he'll turn up soon.

Thank you both for trying to make me feel better, it certainly makes me feel less alone.

I think friend is genuinely worried, because they don't leave each other- and I'm not sure that he knows why he has my son's phone.

Statistically it is an over reaction, I panicked but even reading your posts makes me feel more calm- @Pippa12 you are right, it is a never ending cycle of worry.

And I thought the toddler years were hard!

He is nearly 19- been abroad fairly regularly but this is first backpacking, have been out since June, and I had been doing well with not worrying!

It's a Friday night on holiday, the most likely possibility is they split up whilst they were out having a good time (dancing) or your son has gone home with a woman or met another group.

His friend is probably worried because hangxiety has kicked in.

If assume as a young adult your son will know the name of his hostel and get himself back there when he's finished his night out.

I doubt anyone is going to be jumping on missing person reports in the circumstances you have shared TBH.

Understand why you are concerned from a 3am phone call though - that's not really on and you need to explain to both of them they need a better communication system

I'm sure that you'll get some positive news in the next couple of hours.

@HelpInSerbia

Have just seen that he is 19.

When is he due to return to the UK?

When did you last hear from his friend?

Are they on a night out OP? Are you sure they haven’t just gotten drunk and separated and the friend is over reacting?

Also OP if you do need support speak to FCDO as people on here tend to thrive off other people's drama and as you've mentioned anxiety a few times it's probably not helpful at all.

Honestly thank you all- it is light here now and I don't feel as anxious as I did when it was dark. Being woken at 3 definitely shakes me up.

But I think I would rather someone rang, even if it scares me and I can't do anything.

Thanks this His friend is probably worried because hangxiety has kicked in. Helps as I remember that feeling from my youth.

Of course I am still worried but I feel more rational now.

If he has gone for some hanky panky he’ll go mad when he finds out he has to explain to his mum where he’s been? 😂

It’s coming light now, everything always feels better in the daylight. You’ll likely hear something concrete in the next couple of hours, at very least be able to have a coherent conversation with his friend.

He sounds like a worldly confident soul backpacking at 19. But teenagers are unapologetically selfish, it’s probably not crossed his mind that anybody would be worried at his Houdini act.

Not back until mid next month, I don't think the friend would have worried if my son had his phone, I think that is the bit that scared him.

Had a message from friend about 20 mins ago, waiting for the hostel staff. So I'm waiting on that.

I am totally reliving some teenager backpacking guilt and shame here OP as my parents had a very similar phone call though I was 17.

Glad you are feeling less anxious and hope you get some coherent news soon!