Sacramento native Shon Meckfessel, traveling in northern Iraq, didn't go on an ill-fated hike because he had a cold – a decision that prevented him from wandering into Iran, where three of his friends were reportedly detained.

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran, Iran, was working Sunday to learn more about the Americans' fate through its contacts with the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokeswoman Nadine Olivieri said. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran.

Meckfessel, a graduate student in linguistics and an original member of the band Cake, sat out the hike because he wasn't feeling well, said his grandmother, Irene Meckfessel of Carmichael. He called her Saturday from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, she said.

The four had traveled to Turkey, then entered Iraq on Tuesday and traveled to Sulaimaniyah, according to the Kurdish regional government. On Thursday, three of them took a taxi to the resort town of Ahmed Awaa, it added.

The regional government's statement said the three got lost during an excursion and were detained by Iranian authorities at the border.

The area where the three disappeared is a popular hiking destination known for a picturesque waterfall and rocky scenery as well as a thick growth of fruit and nut trees.

Camping equipment and two backpacks apparently belonging to the Americans were found in the area. It appeared that they were hiking above the waterfall when they accidentally crossed the border, a Kurdish security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

Shortly before their capture, the three contacted Meckfessel to say they had entered Iran by mistake and were surrounded by troops, the official said.

Iran's state TV said the Americans were arrested after they did not heed warnings from Iranian border guards. It cited a "well-informed source" in the Interior Ministry.

One of the missing Americans has been identified by Kurdish authorities as Joshua Fattal of Cottage Grove, Ore. The other two are Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, both from the Bay Area, according to reports.

"My husband and I are only concerned about Josh" and the two others, said Fattal's mother, Laura Fattal of Elkins Park, Pa., in a brief statement Sunday.

Meckfessel, 36, was studying Arabic this summer in Damascus, Syria, his 88-year-old grandmother told the Seattle Times. He is listed as a graduate student at the University of Washington, according to the school's Web site.

"He's very much interested in people and languages and he's working on a Ph.D. in linguistics," his grandmother said.

Meckfessel was raised by his grandmother in Sacramento and spent a year as the bass player of Cake before leaving the band to attend college, according to the Wikipedia entry for the current bassist, Gabe Nelson.

Meckfessel's frequent travels to the Balkans resulted in the book, "Suffled How It Gush: A North American Anarchist in the Balkans," published in 2006. The title was inspired by a label on an Albanian water bottle and its effort at English.

In Iran, Swiss diplomats have asked for consular access to the Americans if their presence in Iran is confirmed, said the embassy's Olivieri. Switzerland has represented U.S. interests in Iran since American diplomats were taken hostage at the embassy in Tehran 30 years ago.

"Our embassy in Tehran is in contact with the Iranian Foreign Ministry and is trying to get a confirmation of the situation," she said.

The State Department, which requested the help, knows about Switzerland's efforts, said spokesman Robert Wood in Washington.

The Bee's Gina Kim contributed to this report.