Shumack, an American freelance journalist, was last seen on July 28, 1995 when he left the Chechen capital, Grozny, and headed toward the surrounding mountainous area. 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. 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.