On April 10th, 2023, 60 year old Patricia Wu-Murad of Connecticut, was hiking south on the Kumano Kodo trail, following the Kohechi route, and failed to check into her guesthouse stop for the evening. After checking out her lodging for the previous night, she was slated to set out on the Miura-toge Pass. This stretch is a steep and rugged path that runs for 11 miles. This route is also part of a UNESCO designated site that is along a pilgrimage route that has been used for over 1,000 years. As of the publish date, she has been missing for nearly 30 days.
According to her family, Japanese authorities were alerted and performed a search that lasted 72 hours. Things hit a lull and then got renewed energy when the family made contact with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who in turn spurred the U.S. State Department into action.
Her family put out a call to the search and rescue (SAR) community in the United States, requesting help. On April 19th, the word got to Michael St. John, a volunteer with the Marin County SAR team in California. He jumped into action and got a team together, including volunteers from California and Hawaii to travel to Japan to help.
The family themselves have also traveled to Japan to help look for their mother, but as of yesterday, the Hartford Courant newspaper is reporting that the family has made the difficult decision to go back home and use funds they've raised for more experienced searchers to keep looking. This is the stuff of nightmares for any traveler/explorer and their loved ones. The family has set up a GoFundMe, and within the last few weeks, the story has garnered more attention in the national and international press.
Below is the link for the GoFundMe, which has frequent updates from the family of Mrs. Wu-Murad, and is the only known place to donate money that directly helps with resources for the search:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-find-pattie-bring-her-home-safe
Below are three articles with more information:
https://www.courant.com/2023/05/07/missing-ct-hikers-family-leaves-japan-local-teams-continue-search-for-pattie-wu-murad/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/02/japan-missing-hiker-volunteers/
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/patricia-wu-murad-missing-hiking-japan-storrs-ct-17904478.php
If you know anything at all, please use the GoFundMe link above to contact the family, or please contact the American or Japanese authorities.
#helpfindpattie
