The search for a missing Connecticut woman in Japan has ended, her family says.
Patricia “Pattie” Wu-Murad disappeared while hiking the Kumano Kodō trail near Osaka. According to WFSB, she was reported missing by local Japanese police on April 10. The 60-year-old was last seen checking out of her Mandokoro guest house around 7 a.m., CT Insider reports.
The U.S. Embassy notified Wu-Murad’s family that she was missing on April 14. According to a GoFundMe page set up by Wu-Murad’s daughter Murphy, local authorities stopped their search after 72 hours. The family raised over $200,000 so they could fund their own search.
According to CT Insider, family members were told that there is no evidence Wu-Murad was on the trail. She may have been the victim of a crime. The family ended their search on May 30.
“If we had the time, resources and financial capacity to search every trail in the area with as much depth and precision as we did this one, we would. However, the reality is all search efforts have ended as of May 30 due to the underwhelming amount of evidence found,” Murphy wrote in a GoFundMe post.
LATEST STORIES
The family also thanked the local police, local volunteers, international volunteers and donors. The GoFundMe page will stop taking donations after June 10.
“To anyone who donated even a penny to our funds, thank you. To everyone who sent myself or my family heartfelt messages along the way, thank you. To all the communities that gave my family strength during this time, thank you,” Murphy wrote.
Murphy paid homage to her mother in her latest GoFundMe post.
“And finally, to Mom, thank you. All of these people came together because of the profound influence you have had on our family and the impact you have had on so many different people around the world. In a time of chaos, thank you for reigniting everyone’s faith in humanity,” she wrote.
“Thank you for instilling in us the strength and resilience to keep moving forward each and every day without you by our side. Thank you for bringing us together with such incredible people, you have shown us the true essence of why you love these trips so much.”
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Make a tax-deductible donation of at least $40 or pledge a monthly recurring donation of at least $10 by August 31 and receive a free copy of The Legend of Mu Lan: Heroine of Ancient China, the inspiration for the classic Disney movie. We are supported in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.