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Here’s Everything We Know So Far About Jason Mangion-Moroney, The Maltese Lover Lost In Honduras

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When a Reddit post announced that a certain Maltese man named James Mangion was locked up in a psychiatric ward in Honduras, most people were sceptical.

How did the Maltese man end up there, and how could he lose all his belongings and even forget his ID card number and all those other important details? Was it a hoax, or was this truly a case of a vulnerable person ending up in a bad situation?

Within hours, more and more details emerged, and soon enough, a fuller picture of what happened exactly began to emerge.

So, how did this apparently Maltese man end up begging on the streets of Tegucigalpa before being taken to a psychiatric ward?

While it’s still early days, here is what we know so far.

1. Jason Mangion-Moroney is a Maltese-British 33-year-old and has a UK-based passport

Speaking to Lovin Malta, a family member explained how Jason was born in England but moved to Malta when he was six years old.

An orphan from a young age, Jason was raised by his Maltese relatives and picked up the language within six months.

2. A few years ago, he met a woman from Honduras

Falling deeply in love with her, Jason was ready to go with her wherever she wanted… and she wanted to return to Honduras.

Jason’ family felt she was “too beautiful and good to be true”, and warned him that she might be “luring” him into something.

An image Jason uploaded in 2015 while abroad

An image Jason uploaded in 2015 while abroad

3. He soon after left Malta for Spain, then went to Colombia… whereupon he disappeared without a trace

After Jason got to Colombia, friends and family lost touch with him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBD6C9pzRHE

4. His family spent years wondering what happened to him

However, Jason’s rocky relationship with his family coupled with his strong desire to move abroad with his girlfriend made it hard to stay in touch.

5. Ten months ago, the family received a “distress call for money” from Colombia out of the blue

The family were shocked to hear from Jason, and wondered why he might need the money – they knew he had some money saved up, and were concerned by the sudden distress call for financial help.

The whole thing was all the more confusing seeing as the distress call was sent on Facebook Messenger from a new profile, with the family’s attempts to verify whether this was indeed Jason falling flat.

6. His family believe he might be on the autism spectrum

“He’s a strange boy, very intelligent, but he’s taken wrongly a lot of the time because of his intellect and the way he speaks,” a family member told Lovin Malta, noting that Jason had never officially been diagnosed as living with autism.

 

7. Jason spent time at Mount Carmel

He was admitted to Mount Carmel by his family following problems relating to his “inability to communicate”.

However, Jason’s time at Malta’s mental health institution didn’t go well, with his family saying that it ended with him begging them to never let him go back there. The family reported that all that happened was Jason was just being “pumped full of chemicals.”

8. His family know he has fallen through the cracks

“The system has missed him, his family has missed him – everyone has missed him,” lamented one family member. “And then if someone helps him, they are called a bad seed.”

 

9. But they are ready to go to Honduras this week if they can verify his location

So far, attempts to contact the psychiatric hospital he is allegedly located in have failed.

10. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs are aware of the case

Speaking to Lovin Malta, a ministry spokesperson said they are ready to act once they were able to confirm further details with the family.

“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion has checked with all available channels and does not have this information,” they told Lovin Malta. “Nonetheless, we will keep following and will provide consular assistance without delay in the eventuality that the case is confirmed.”

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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