ACTIVE SEARCH JAPAN - Patricia "Pattie" Wu-Murad, 60, US Citizen, on hiking trip Kumano Kodo Trail, didn't arr next stop Osaka, 10 Apr 2023

[ZaZara]

Months after CT mother goes missing during hike in Japan, family still holding out for a ‘miracle’

The family was frustrated by local police officials and their lack of urgency.

“When we arrived, they [the police] were very helpful,” Murad said. “But they didn't say, ‘This is what we're going to do. This is how we operate.’ They said, ‘What do you need from us?’”


With the aid of donations and volunteers, they coordinated search efforts with a Japanese search and rescue organization called Mountain Works. However, even after what was described to Murad as “the largest and longest search ever in Japan for an individual,” no clues as to Wu-Murad’s whereabouts have been found.

“There's nothing. That's the frustrating part,” Murad said. “There's no article of clothing that says she fell here. There's no witness that says ‘I saw her there.’ There's no blood that says she was a victim of a crime.”

Despite U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal connecting the family to the State Department, FBI and Japanese government officials, the family struggled to begin the search.

“I'm an educator, my daughter is a basketball coach [and] my son is in computer networking we're not experts in search and rescue. But we very quickly became experts,” Murad said.

Murad advises people traveling solo abroad to allow trusted individuals access to their location other than through their cell phone.

“We wish that she had an [bluetooth location-tracking] air tag because we could have found her that way. I think that's something everybody should have,” Murad said.

Wu-Murad’s phone had lost battery by the time the family was notified of her disappearance, so they were unable to access her location – or any data through her eSim card due to Japan’s strict privacy laws on telecommunications.


RS&BBM

 

[Lonicera]

Months after CT mother goes missing during hike in Japan, family still holding out for a ‘miracle’

The family was frustrated by local police officials and their lack of urgency.

“When we arrived, they [the police] were very helpful,” Murad said. “But they didn't say, ‘This is what we're going to do. This is how we operate.’ They said, ‘What do you need from us?’”


With the aid of donations and volunteers, they coordinated search efforts with a Japanese search and rescue organization called Mountain Works. However, even after what was described to Murad as “the largest and longest search ever in Japan for an individual,” no clues as to Wu-Murad’s whereabouts have been found.

“There's nothing. That's the frustrating part,” Murad said. “There's no article of clothing that says she fell here. There's no witness that says ‘I saw her there.’ There's no blood that says she was a victim of a crime.”

Despite U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal connecting the family to the State Department, FBI and Japanese government officials, the family struggled to begin the search.

“I'm an educator, my daughter is a basketball coach [and] my son is in computer networking we're not experts in search and rescue. But we very quickly became experts,” Murad said.

Murad advises people traveling solo abroad to allow trusted individuals access to their location other than through their cell phone.

“We wish that she had an [bluetooth location-tracking] air tag because we could have found her that way. I think that's something everybody should have,” Murad said.

Wu-Murad’s phone had lost battery by the time the family was notified of her disappearance, so they were unable to access her location – or any data through her eSim card due to Japan’s strict privacy laws on telecommunications.


RS&BBM

We can also establish a link with the disappearance of Tiphaine Véron on Nikko. It is also a place of pilgrimage known in Japan. Two women alone , two women from foreign countries.

 

[StillDiggin]

A picture of Pattie in this NY Times article.

88 Temples, 750 Miles, Untold Gifts: Japan’s Shikoku Pilgrimage (Published 2023)

A famed route on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands offers breathtaking views and an array of lessons on history, culture and generosity.

www.nytimes.com

 

[nhmemorymaker]

A picture of Pattie in this NY Times article.

88 Temples, 750 Miles, Untold Gifts: Japan’s Shikoku Pilgrimage (Published 2023)

A famed route on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands offers breathtaking views and an array of lessons on history, culture and generosity.

www.nytimes.com

Can you post the picture?? NYT is behind a paywall( and I'm just not willing to pay them anymore !! )

 

[ZaZara]

I can read it.

Here she is 'Patricia, a fellow pilgrim, aboard the ferry'

 

[neesaki]

A picture of Pattie in this NY Times article.

88 Temples, 750 Miles, Untold Gifts: Japan’s Shikoku Pilgrimage (Published 2023)

A famed route on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands offers breathtaking views and an array of lessons on history, culture and generosity.

www.nytimes.com

I see the date of the article, but wonder when the pic of Patty was taken.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I can read it.

Here she is 'Patricia, a fellow pilgrim, aboard the ferry'

thanks!

 

[ZaZara]

I see the date of the article, but wonder when the pic of Patty was taken.

The author does not mention dates. The picture was taken a few days after once.

From the link:

Once, when I asked the two employees at a mountain temple’s stamp office if the temple offered free accommodations, they replied that it did not. But, speaking through a translator on my phone, they offered to drive me to a place where I could camp in a nearby valley.

A few days later, hoping to see the landscape from a different point of view, I boarded a tiny ferry with a fellow pilgrim, Patricia, and went zigzagging for nearly an hour in Uranouchi Bay. Patricia and I were the only travelers on board.

 

[neesaki]

The author does not mention dates. The picture was taken a few days after once.

From the link:

Once, when I asked the two employees at a mountain temple’s stamp office if the temple offered free accommodations, they replied that it did not. But, speaking through a translator on my phone, they offered to drive me to a place where I could camp in a nearby valley.

A few days later, hoping to see the landscape from a different point of view, I boarded a tiny ferry with a fellow pilgrim, Patricia, and went zigzagging for nearly an hour in Uranouchi Bay. Patricia and I were the only travelers on board.

I was going to try to contact the author….. looked for her on twitter and FB but couldn’t find her .

ETA: The author responded to a comment that mentioned Patty and that she was missing.

Marta Giaccone
Italy1h ago
@Erika Hi I am the writer. Yes I am aware of Pattie's tragic story... she is my friend. Thanks for the concern.

 

[slowpoke]

I see the date of the article, but wonder when the pic of Patty was taken.

Lovely article, and great photo of Pattie. I feel like the author captured for us what Pattie loved about these pilgrimages.

And Pattie’s photo: it looks like she is smiling as she looks out in wonderment at the scenery, feeling blessed for being in her surroundings, fully in the moment. What a precious treasure this must feel like to Pattie’s family, a bittersweet bit of comfort to see Pattie experiencing joy on this fated trip.

As for the date of the photo, it is unknown to us from the article. The only clues I could discern was that she says in her IG the author’s pilgrimage was “back in March”, and in her article she says she spent 28 days visiting all 88 temples.

 

[RickshawFan]

I see the date of the article, but wonder when the pic of Patty was taken.

The Shikoku is an entirely different pilgrimage style, different geographical location, abundant hostels, and many American pilgrims. With its cast of thousands, it’s very much like the Camino, where PW had prior trips. In other words, the photo was taken in an entirely different context than the Kohechi on the Kumano Kodo, which is notoriously treacherous (note the steep drop offs in the family videos, for instance) and has warnings from the official tourist bureau about the scarcity of traffic and the dangers of the hike.

The warnings go with the official maps: Difficulty Rating｜Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

 

[RickshawFan]

Months after CT mother goes missing during hike in Japan, family still holding out for a ‘miracle’

The family was frustrated by local police officials and their lack of urgency.

“When we arrived, they [the police] were very helpful,” Murad said. “But they didn't say, ‘This is what we're going to do. This is how we operate.’ They said, ‘What do you need from us?’”


With the aid of donations and volunteers, they coordinated search efforts with a Japanese search and rescue organization called Mountain Works. However, even after what was described to Murad as “the largest and longest search ever in Japan for an individual,” no clues as to Wu-Murad’s whereabouts have been found.

“There's nothing. That's the frustrating part,” Murad said. “There's no article of clothing that says she fell here. There's no witness that says ‘I saw her there.’ There's no blood that says she was a victim of a crime.”

Despite U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal connecting the family to the State Department, FBI and Japanese government officials, the family struggled to begin the search.

“I'm an educator, my daughter is a basketball coach [and] my son is in computer networking we're not experts in search and rescue. But we very quickly became experts,” Murad said.

Murad advises people traveling solo abroad to allow trusted individuals access to their location other than through their cell phone.

“We wish that she had an [bluetooth location-tracking] air tag because we could have found her that way. I think that's something everybody should have,” Murad said.

Wu-Murad’s phone had lost battery by the time the family was notified of her disappearance, so they were unable to access her location – or any data through her eSim card due to Japan’s strict privacy laws on telecommunications.


RS&BBM

Apple tag locations are crowd-sourced, and require cell service to broadcast. There’s barely any traffic on the Kohechi, and no/poor cell service.

A simple $3 whistle might have been all that was needed to flag down whoever might be passing by. It would have substantially further range than bluetooth, which only has a 30 ft reach. Unfortunately, I don’t see a whistle in the photo of Pattie in the yellow pack.

 

[ZaZara]

Apple tag locations are crowd-sourced, and require cell service to broadcast. There’s barely any traffic on the Kohechi, and no/poor cell service.

A simple $3 whistle might have been all that was needed to flag down whoever might be passing by. It would have substantially further range than bluetooth, which only has a 30 ft reach. Unfortunately, I don’t see a whistle in the photo of Pattie in the yellow pack.

The family hiked the third leg of the Kohechi trail and found that cell service was good everywhere.

Given the very strict privacy laws in Japan, I agree with the family that it is wise for hikers and travellers to carry a device that can be traced separately by those at home.

I follow the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley in the UK. So many useful data were retrieved from her phone and her fitbit that help clarify the circumstances of her disappearance! - it makes one want to weep to think that this option is blocked for Pattie's family.

 

[Turkeytrot]

Bumping the thread, just heard about this case on a podcast.

 

[Susikatze]

The family hiked the third leg of the Kohechi trail and found that cell service was good everywhere.

Given the very strict privacy laws in Japan, I agree with the family that it is wise for hikers and travellers to carry a device that can be traced separately by those at home.

I follow the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley in the UK. So many useful data were retrieved from her phone and her fitbit that help clarify the circumstances of her disappearance! - it makes one want to weep to think that this option is blocked for Pattie's family.

Being European, i get the strict Japanese take on data protection. But i do not know why Japanese LE shouldnt be able to access her last phone ping location . I am sure they can. Sharing it is another story, but they should be able to access it

 

[neesaki]

Being European, i get the strict Japanese take on data protection. But i do not know why Japanese LE shouldnt be able to access her last phone ping location . I am sure they can. Sharing it is another story, but they should be able to access it

I don’t understand why they can’t share it with her husband?

 

[Susikatze]

I don’t understand why they can’t share it with her husband?

It is the same in Europe..it is a cultual/technical thing to leave investigative work to the LE professionals. Since this is an active search/investigation, it is feared that releasing information publically (and legally, public means the husband as well, really, anyone outside LE) may hamper the investigation. I am quite sure the Japanese police is well equipped and capable.

Territory off the official trail is often hard to search. In the US, many people get lost doing the Appalachian trail because they stepped a few hundred meters or so off the beaten path and just dont find their way back. Many never find back and die of exposure and it takes a long time to find them. Lets hope this is not what happened here.

 

[ZaZara]

It is the same in Europe..it is a cultual/technical thing to leave investigative work to the LE professionals. Since this is an active search/investigation, it is feared that releasing information publically (and legally, public means the husband as well, really, anyone outside LE) may hamper the investigation. I am quite sure the Japanese police is well equipped and capable.

Territory off the official trail is often hard to search. In the US, many people get lost doing the Appalachian trail because they stepped a few hundred meters or so off the beaten path and just dont find their way back. Many never find back and die of exposure and it takes a long time to find them. Lets hope this is not what happened here.

The third leg of the Kohechi trail is incomparable to the Appalachian trail. Pilgrims on the Kochechi trail have no reason to step off the beaten path - the slopes are too steep to do so.
Mobile network is good in the entire area, as the family found out.
Why do you make this comparison?

 

[RickshawFan]

The family hiked the third leg of the Kohechi trail and found that cell service was good everywhere.

Given the very strict privacy laws in Japan, I agree with the family that it is wise for hikers and travellers to carry a device that can be traced separately by those at home.

I follow the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley in the UK. So many useful data were retrieved from her phone and her fitbit that help clarify the circumstances of her disappearance! - it makes one want to weep to think that this option is blocked for Pattie's family.

As I understand it, Pattie was on the second leg of the Kohechi trail. She had just completed her first overnight.

As I recall, Pattie had elected not to communicate with folks back home very much, for whatever reason, and she had let them know she was likely to be unavailable. I don't believe a phone turned off would provide a location trail. When a phone is constantly trying to reach a cell tower, it drains the battery, so hikers often turn their phones off. This was the situation in the Dingley case: she had a phone, but cell history was irrelevant, because her phone was off. Another recent case was a young man in Glacier. He used a reflective safety blanket to the get the attention of an airborne unit: no phone involved. And then, of course, there was the Sands case.

I don't believe there would have been consistent cell service on the Kohechi, even though there might have been service on portions of the actual trail tread. It's an extremely rugged area, from looking at video, with many skyward obstructions. All it would take would be a minor accident that pulled you into a drainage where it was impossible to get out, and you'd head downwards, away from the trail. The young man in Glacier is an excellent example. Luckily, he was carrying his 10 essentials; they saved his life.

However, all in all, I hear the Japanese being blamed for the outcome here from many angles, e.g. the phone tracing, the search parameters, etc. etc.. I think this is very unfortunate. IMO when a person voluntarily undertakes a high-risk trip in a remote area, the risk is entirely on them. No one else is to blame if the trip goes sideways (except, perhaps, in the case of a random crime, which seems very unlikely here). The Japanese are a gracious people, pilgrimages are an important economic driver, a 3-day search is standard (because it covers the likelihood of survival, which is greatly diminished after that time), and the official warnings about the Kohechi trail are well-published.

AFAIK Bulley went missing in an urbanized area with blanket cell service.

 

[annpats]

The third leg of the Kohechi trail is incomparable to the Appalachian trail. Pilgrims on the Kochechi trail have no reason to step off the beaten path - the slopes are too steep to do so.
Mobile network is good in the entire area, as the family found out.
Why do you make this comparison?

I think the most obvious thing, logic and probability-wise, is she went off-trail and had an accident, and/or became unconscious and couldn't get back.

This is my most likely theory theory, as it is with nearly all people hiking/walking in woody, mountainous or hilly areas.