Andrew Shumack

Andrew Shumack was an American freelance journalist who went missing during the First Chechen War and is presumed dead.

He was last seen on July 28, 1995 when he left the Chechen capital, Grozny, and headed toward the surrounding mountainous area. He is feared to be dead because no one from the newspaper has heard from him since, and U.S. Embassy officials have not been able to locate him despite repeated trips to the region. [http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2005/DA_spring05/missing_DA/missing_DA.html]

On July 20, The St. Petersburg Press, an English language newspaper, had provided Shumack with a letter of introduction to help him obtain press credentials. In return, Shumack was to give them photographs and stories for three months; it was the first time he had ventured into a war zone. Journalists in Grozny found his backpack, sleeping bag and documents (including a copy of his passport) abandoned in his hotel there.