The Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) is searching for a missing U.S. citizen identified as Greg Howard Iken.

Authorities said the 61-year-old man was reported missing on Monday, Nov. 17.

According to investigators, Iken has residency status in Costa Rica and was last seen more than a month earlier, on Sunday, Oct. 5, in a public area near Jaco Beach in Garabito Canton in Puntarenas Province.

Additional details have been withheld due to the ongoing investigation. Only immediate family members may request further information.

The OIJ is asking the public to share any information that could help locate him. Tips can be submitted confidentially through the agency’s 10-digit hotline at 800-8000-645 or via WhatsApp at 8800-0645.

According to the U.S. Embassy, embassies and consulates worldwide “help to locate U.S. citizens overseas when relatives or friends are concerned about their welfare or need to notify them of emergencies at home.”

The Department of State and U.S. embassies and consulates handle more than 200,000 welfare and whereabouts inquiries each year, as noted on the embassy's website.

To help the embassy locate a U.S. citizen abroad, those reporting a case should have the following information:

• Caller’s full name, address, phone number and relationship to the individual.

• Name of the person abroad.

• Their date and place of birth.

• Passport number (if known).

• Last known address and phone number.

• Reason for their travel or residence abroad (business, tourism, etc.), and their travel itinerary.

• Date of last contact.

• Other points of contact abroad (friends, business associates, hotels, etc.).

Assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica is available in person at its facilities in Pavas, San José, by emailing ACSSanJose@state.gov or by calling +(506)-2519-2000.

The OIJ, a branch of the country’s Supreme Court of Justice, is responsible for conducting criminal investigations nationwide.

A.M. Costa Rica encourages readers to share this missing-person alert with their networks.