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

[Unalienable Rights]

Storrs Woman Missing in Japan

A Storrs woman who went hiking in Japan is missing and her family is desperately trying to find her after authorities called off the search. Patricia Wu-Murad, who is known as Pattie, is an avid hiker who retired from United Technologies last year. She has since gone on two pilgrimages and this...

www.nbcconnecticut.com

A Storrs woman who went hiking in Japan is missing and her family is desperately trying to find her after authorities called off the search.

Patricia Wu-Murad, who is known as Pattie, is an avid hiker who retired from United Technologies last year. She has since gone on two pilgrimages and this one is her third to the Kumano Kodo trail in Japan.

“That is her at her happy place, and she was so thrilled to be there,” Wu-Murad’s sister-in-law, Julie Murad-Caruso, of Syracuse, New York, said.

Wu-Murad had planned out every part of her 700-mile journey, according to her family, but did not make it to her next stop near Osaka last Monday.

Authorities searched but called it off after 72 hours and then notified the United States Consulate.

That’s when Patricia’s husband, Kirk, found out. He is now in Japan, searching for his wife.

Over the past three days, the family has been raising money for private search-and-rescue efforts to help find her and also reached out to state legislators.

Connecticut woman missing while hiking in Japan: 'Every hour counts'

Patricia Wu-Murad was first declared missing last Monday, and the family is raising money...

www.ctinsider.com

The family of a Connecticut woman is asking for help after a Storrs resident was reported missing in a mountainous region of Japan.

Julie Murad-Caruso said her sister-in-law, Patricia Wu-Murad, was reported missing last Monday while on a hiking pilgrimage trekking through the mountains of Japan on the Kumano Kodo Trai.

"She left out Monday morning their time," she said. "She left at 7 a.m., and she was supposed... to meet up at the next hostel where she was going to stay that night. But she never showed up."

Murad-Caruso said local authorities did a search for 72 hours, but could not find her and ended the search. She said they notified the U.S. Embassy in Japan, who then notified her brother and Patricia's husband, Kirk Murad, on Friday.

Article continues at link

 

[Unalienable Rights]

A CT woman on a hiking trip in Japan is missing. Family members are rushing there amid ‘this nightmare’ to help search

A retired Storrs woman on a pilgrimage through the mountains of Japan never reached her checkpoint a week ago and her family is desperately trying to find her.

www.courant.com

A retired Storrs woman on a pilgrimage through the mountains of Japan never reached her checkpoint a week ago and her family is desperately trying to find her.

Patricia Wu-Murad is an experienced lifelong hiker and wouldn’t have run into any problems on the trek unless there was an unexpected event such as a mudslide or avalanche, her sister-in-law and family spokesperson Julie Murad-Caruso said Sunday.

*************
Murad-Caruso said the family is trying get the attention of lawmakers or others persons with influence to connect with Japanese authorities to launch a search.

“We’re trying to get the attention of anyone with clout,” Murad-Caruso said. “Everybody’s trying to keep their spirits up…We trust Pattie, We know how smart she is, how resilient.”

Murad-Caruso said her brother Kirk is with at least one of the couple’s three adult children on their way to Japan to search on their own.

***********
Kirk Murad said, also by text, “We were trying to coordinate things between our friends in Japan, my daughter, Murphy, in Singapore, and the rest of my family in the US.

“One thing we knew we had to do was hire a private search and rescue company, as the police in Japan had stopped searching after three days,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, the police didn’t notify the Consulate in Japan that Pattie was missing until early Friday morning. I tried to find her location after calling and texting her, but her battery had already died by that point.”

*************
She said they were raising money to hire a private search and rescue mountain crew at about $10,000, fly them to Osaka at about $5,000 and hiring a helicopter for aerial search at $1,600 per hour.

***********
Kirk Murad, wasn’t notified right away, his sister said, and last time he got to speak with his wife was Friday, April 7.

“So she may have been missing since last Saturday,” Murad-Caruso said. “Kirk and his children are flying out there to search for her.”

She said Patricia Wu-Murad was several weeks into her pilgrimage.

Anyone with suggestions can email: HelpfindPattie@gmail.com/

*************
It is a long article. There is a lot more at the link.

 

[dotr]

Wife of CT educator, coach missing in Japan; White House contacted, donations, support pour in to continue search

Patricia Wu-Murad was last seen in the early morning April 10 Japan time, leaving a guesthouse for the next day leg of her journey, but never showed up as scheduled for the night’s destinatio…

www.courant.com

''U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday he has contacted the State Department and the White House to assist in finding a Storrs woman who has gone missing during a hiking pilgrimage in Japan.

Patricia Wu-Murad is a recent retiree, lifelong hiker, devoted mother of three and married for almost 33 years to career educator and longtime girl’s high school basketball coach, Kirk Murad. He is now a consultant for local school administrators.''

''Murphy wrote that when her mom checked out of the Mandokoro guesthouse at about 7 a.m. April 10, the employee remembers her wearing a brownish red jacket with a camera in her hands.
They called police to report Pattie Murad had not shown up at that night’s guesthouse.
Anyone with suggestions can email: HelpfindPattie@gmail.com/''

Connecticut woman goes missing during hiking trip in Japan: Family

Patricia Wu-Murad is said to be an experienced lifelong hiker and was reported missing by local authorities on April 10 after she never reached a checkpoint.

www.fox61.com

''Murad-Caruso urged local emergency responders to extend their search. She said officials waited too long to notify them and now the battery on Patty's phone has died.
Blumenthal's office is working to retrieve data from the phone through Apple.
“We’re trying to get the attention of anyone with clout,” Murad-Caruso said. “Everybody’s trying to keep their spirits up…We trust Pattie, We know how smart she is, how resilient.”

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“Our private search and rescue team was deployed early morning on April 16 and have so far come up empty but will be continuing their efforts,” said Murad. “At this point the private search and rescue team believe, ‘that a very irregular situation occurred on April 10.’”

In the most recent update from the daughter, they plan on going to a local police department Tuesday to try and get more information and to request police resources to help find Wu-Murad.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke to the family and has offered his support by attempting to help locate Wu-Murad through her last known location on her phone, according to NBC Connecticut.

Connecticut Woman Goes Missing While Hiking in Japan

Patricia Wu-Murad was reported missing on April 10 after she went hiking on the Kumano Kodo Trail.

www.insideedition.com

 

[StillDiggin]

As someone who have walked pilgrimages across Europe, generally the route is so well signposted. U usually have maps or apps that can also help when you go off course.
Is the Kumano Way well signpointed? I have never been but a quick google search says, yes extremely well signed.

The Kumano Kodo is extremely well signposted with wooden “Kumano Kodo” signs – there are even “Not Kumano Kodo” signs on some crossroads indicating where not to go! In addition to the Kumano Kodo signs, there are waymarkers as well as regular signs indicating directions and distances.

FAQ - Hiking the Kumano Kodo Japan

FAQ for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage and walking tours. Transport, Food, Accommodation, Weather, equipment, Safety, facilities, communications and more.

kumanokodo.com.au

Police gave up trying to find a hiker who went missing in Japan more than a week ago. Her family's now taking the search into their own hands.

The family of Patricia Wu-Murad has hired a private search-and-rescue crew and traveled to the region themselves to try and find her.

www.insider.com

 

[slowpoke]

“Our private search and rescue team was deployed early morning on April 16 and have so far come up empty but will be continuing their efforts,” said Murad. “At this point the private search and rescue team believe, ‘that a very irregular situation occurred on April 10.’”

In the most recent update from the daughter, they plan on going to a local police department Tuesday to try and get more information and to request police resources to help find Wu-Murad.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke to the family and has offered his support by attempting to help locate Wu-Murad through her last known location on her phone, according to NBC Connecticut.

Connecticut Woman Goes Missing While Hiking in Japan

Patricia Wu-Murad was reported missing on April 10 after she went hiking on the Kumano Kodo Trail.

www.insideedition.com

From the Inside Edition article:

"She's someone that sticks to the plan, so if something happened to her, it would have been unusual," said Murad-Caruso, who explained that Wu-Murad kept in regular contact with her family throughout her journey.

"The only way something could have happened to Pattie is if it caught her off guard — something that she could not plan for," Murad-Caruso said.

The family has been told that there have been recent mudslides along the trail Wu-Murad had been hiking.

She looks so happy in the photo of her on her trip, with her big smile. This is heartbreaking.

I wonder if she was backpacking it (hiking with a huge backpack of supplies), so that she’d have a lot more items that could aid her chances of survival if she was perhaps injured on the trail?

She’s said to be organized, smart and experienced in hiking, so I hope there will be a miracle here.

 

[Eli9]

So I regularly read Japan Today and they haven't even reported on this missing woman.

Japan Today

Japan News and Discussion

japantoday.com

ETA
can't find her on this site

The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

or here

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/search/results/?keywords=Patricia+Wu-Muradの検索結果 - The Mainichi

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/search/results/?keywords=Patricia+Wu-Muradの毎日新聞デジタルニュースサイト内での検索結果です。

mainichi.jp

or here

News on Japan, Asia Pacific and the world

Headline news and features on Japan, Asia Pacific and the world, as well as full coverage of domestic and overseas business.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[kccorona]

How scary for her family! It’s interesting that they haven’t found any trace or clues as stated in an article above. Sounds like they have a fairly small window of time (checked out 7am April 10, reported missing later that same date when she didn’t show up to the guesthouse) and a relatively certain area to search, especially with such a well-marked and well-traveled scenic trail.

I was wondering about distance between the two guesthouses- this Daily Mail article has a lot of good info about the route:

“She was due to stay at the Taiyo-no-yu guesthouse 11.2 miles away that night and her family believe she was planning to follow a scenic hiking trail from one guesthouse to the next, which should have taken her seven to nine hours. Pattie never arrived.”

 

[realanastasia]

I hope the authorities have extensively questioned the owners of the guesthouse Pattie was departing from, as well as any guests who might've seen her at some point during her stay there. I don't know how formal/informal these guesthouses along the trail are, but presumably they would have some kind of records indicating who was staying there when she arrived and when she left. Also--if the trail is as popular with hikers as it seems to be--I would imagine that other people might've noticed by now if there appeared to have been a rockslide or landslide powerful enough to have forced a hiker off the trail.

 

[WingsOverTX]

“Our private search and rescue team was deployed early morning on April 16 and have so far come up empty but will be continuing their efforts,” said Murad. “At this point the private search and rescue team believe, ‘that a very irregular situation occurred on April 10.’”

In the most recent update from the daughter, they plan on going to a local police department Tuesday to try and get more information and to request police resources to help find Wu-Murad.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke to the family and has offered his support by attempting to help locate Wu-Murad through her last known location on her phone, according to NBC Connecticut.

Connecticut Woman Goes Missing While Hiking in Japan

Patricia Wu-Murad was reported missing on April 10 after she went hiking on the Kumano Kodo Trail.

www.insideedition.com

RBBM
An "irregular situation" sounds alarming. I wish we had more details. Could she have run into someone dangerous she met on a previous hike?

I am curious about what PM was carrying her belongings in. Did she have anything other than a cell phone, like a beacon, to summon help? How prepared was she for potential injury or problems?

The time lag in her family being notified & having their own SAR respond is a problem. Six days is too long in an event like this.

I wonder what the terrain is like? Hiking 11 miles in a day is quite a pace. I'm curious about the three-stop pilgrimage. What were the other two & where?

Is she really missing from a hike on the trail or did something else happen?

Unlikely that she veered off this well-marked trail IMO. What wildlife might she have encountered?

Positive thoughts for Pattie & her family.
JMO

 

[WingsOverTX]

The Kumano Kodo is an ancient pilgrimage trail in the mountains of Wakayama (south of Kyoto) where you can walk with a light pack from guesthouse to guesthouse for a few days. It’s a brilliant way to experience Japan’s rural side and ancient religious traditions.

The Kumano Kodo Walking Trail: A Guide with Maps

The Kumano Kodo is an ancient pilgrimage trail south of Kyoto where you can walk from guesthouse to guesthouse. View our Kumano Kodo guide and maps.

www.insidekyoto.com

The Kumano Kodo is actually a network of several ancient pilgrimage routes that converge on Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine, a powerful Shinto shrine in the mountainous heart of Wakayama Prefecture.

 

[WingsOverTX]

According to her family, the day's hike should have taken about 7 to 9 hours, and given the time she was last seen, "it was estimated she should have arrived between 4-5 p.m.," per the . When she still hadn't arrived that night, staff reported her missing to local police.

For Wu-Murad, who retired from a job at United Technologies last year and is originally from Taiwan, the solo trip was "something she always wanted to do."

"It's a peaceful journey and there's lots to do and lots to see. It's like a bucket-list [trip]," Murad-Caruso told Insider of the journey, which began in early March.

"She's someone that sticks to the plan, so if something happened to her, it would have been unusual," added Murad-Caruso.

The trip marked her third pilgrimage to the area, according to NBC Connecticut.

Conn. Mom of 3 Goes Missing in Japan While on 'Bucket List' Solo Trip: 'We Are Desperate to Find Her'

Connecticut mother of three Patricia Wu-Murad was on a pilgrimage to Japan when she went missing while hiking earlier this month

people.com

 

[Eli9]

My questions are
were any scent dogs used
has there been any media coverage in the local area
is the family allowed to post flyers of PW and are they doing that?

I'm worried that people utilizing these trails aren't being made aware of her disappearance and that it might be by design. JMO

 

[WingsOverTX]

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[Eli9]

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View attachment 415858

Beautiful photo.

 

[LadyL]

why on earth would they wait 72 hours to notify her husband

 

[WingsOverTX]

My questions are
were any scent dogs used
has there been any media coverage in the local area
is the family allowed to post flyers of PW and are they doing that?

I'm worried that people utilizing these trails aren't being made aware of her disappearance and that it might be by design. JMO

We believe our best chance of finding Pattie is with the use of Search and Rescue scent tracking dogs. The previous searches did not utilize any dogs and unfortunately no clues or leads were found. If anyone knows of police units with K-9 units, locals with bloodhounds, or any other ideas on how to get dogs quickly please let us know. The scent trail is now 8 days old and diminishing so time running down.

Murphy Murad, daughter of Patricia and creator of Patricia's

Search continues for Connecticut woman reported missing in Japan

A Connecticut woman has gone missing in Japan.

www.wfsb.com

I think the time lost between her disappearance being reported to a small, local police station and her family being notified she was missing is the big hurdle.

Plus there is a language barrier between the family now in Japan and LE.

It's such a different culture than here & I do not think the family will have success taking an "American" approach. JMO but they have to figure out what is likely to be most accepted by local LE & local communities.

Eleven miles of trail in mountainous terrain to search. See pics here:

Retired Connecticut woman vanishes during hiking trip in Japan

Patricia 'Pattie' Wu-Murad, of Storrs, Connecticut was last seen April 10 while on a solo expedition through the mountainous region of Japan

www.dailymail.co.uk

JMO

 

[Cedars]

why on earth would they wait 72 hours to notify her husband

I think she probably carried his contact info with her. So it was some kind of liaison with the US Embassy, which takes time.

ETA, and may not have started right away, since they hoped to find her.

 

[WingsOverTX]

why on earth would they wait 72 hours to notify her husband

APRIL 10
Wu-Murad was in the middle of a 700-mile trek along the Kumano Kodo trail through the mountainous Kii Peninsula when a lodge reported her missing to police on April 10 after she didn't show up for her stay.

Local authorities searched for Wu-Murad for 72 hours, but gave up after they could not find the married mother-of-three, her family said.

APRIL 14
The family was notified about Wu-Murad's disappearance by the United States Embassy on April 14.

"Not enough resources and not having enough details made [police] feel like it wasn't worth putting more resources into it," Murad-Caruso explained.

Police gave up trying to find a hiker who went missing in Japan more than a week ago. Her family's now taking the search into their own hands.

 

[annpats]

APRIL 10
"Wu-Murad was in the middle of a 700-mile trek along the Kumano Kodo trail through the mountainous Kii Peninsula.."

Oh my, 700 miles is a lot and if she was half-way through them she'd already covered 350 miles of it!

I wonder if the guesthouse she was staying at the night before had any single male guests who may have taken a nefarious shine to her, and followed her along the trail?