Bengoechea Still Missing But Family Not Giving Up Hope

When the tsunami struck the Indian Ocean, one of the first people interviewed by CNN was gay interior designer Nate Berkus, well-known to daytime TV audiences from his frequent appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s show. When the devastating wave hit, Berkus and Fernando Bengoechea, a 39-year-old Argentine photographer based in New York, were at a $35-a-night cottage on a surfing beach near Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka. Though CNN coyly referred to Bengoechea as Berkus’s “friend,� they were in fact lovers, according to a new report by Guy Trebay in The New York Times.
Bengoechea’s brother, Marcelo Bengoechea, says that his brother and Berkus were “very much in love.� The Times story adds that a phone and e-mail search for the missing Bengoechea has been coordinated by the fashion house of Valentino, because the photographer is a friend of Valentino and his circle.
Meanwhile, Beate Chelette, Bengoechea’s licensing agent in the United States, says that there will be a statement from Bengoechea’s family about the photographer on Thursday. “For now,� says Chelette, “they’re still specifically looking for him and not yet willing to give up hope.� Berkus, who last week was taken by helicopter to Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, has been continuing the search for his partner with private investigators.