Mark Sanford disappearance and extramarital affair

From June 18 until June 24, 2009, Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's whereabouts were unknown and there was media coverage of what was described as his disappearance. Subsequently the Governor reappeared and admitted that he had been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. He stated that in 2001 he met and became friends with this woman and that they started having a sexual relationship in 2008. His wife, Jenny Sanford became aware of the relationship in January 2009, and it was later revealed that two weeks prior to June 24 Sanford and his wife had begun a trial separation. The woman was later identified as Maria Belén Chapur, an Argentine journalist.

During the six days of absence, one of the excuses offered by Sanford's spokesperson was that Sanford was hiking the Appalachian Trail. As a result, "hiking the Appalachian Trail" or "hiking the Appalachians" became a euphemism for a sexual scandal in the English language.

The early history of the relationship between Chapur and Sanford was not publicly known until 2009. In 2001, Chapur and Sanford met at an open-air dance in Uruguay. The couple met again at a New York bistro in 2004. Two other meetings in New York occurred later; one with Sanford accompanied by a spiritual advisor with the knowledge of his wife. According to reports from Sanford, the two engaged in sexual relations in 2008 during an economic development trip Sanford made to Argentina.

The whereabouts of Governor Sanford were unknown to the public, including his wife and his security staff, from June 18 until June 24, 2009. The absence of Governor Sanford was first reported by Jim Davenport of the Associated Press. This six day disappearance garnered nationwide news coverage. His state and personal phones were turned off and he did not respond to phone or text messages. That prompted some to believe that he was missing and raised questions about who was acting as governor of South Carolina. His wife, Jenny Sanford, initially stated that she was not concerned and that he needed time away from their children to write something. Sanford has apparently made similar disappearances in the past, although this was the longest. After media speculation grew, Sanford's office on June 22 stated that he told them where he was going before he left and that he would be "difficult to reach." Later that day, Sanford's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, told the press that Sanford was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

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Wikipedia