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

[annpats]

I've taken another good look at the maps of the Miura-toge Pass portion of the Kumano-Kodo trail, hoping to get a better idea not just of the terrain, but of how the terrain changes and also the amenities available along the route.

From the Mandokoro guesthouse to the trailhead is about 0.7km (0.45mi) travelling mostly along the Route 733 road. (Link) This is quite a narrow, winding mountain road, with a steep mountain side to the left and a steep drop down towards the Kanno River on the right. (Link) I've got to be honest, even this relatively short section of road looks pretty dangerous if a car came speeding around one of the corners.

You then go off the road at a point that appears to be marked for the Kumano-Kodo trail (Link), passing a number of houses towards the Kohechi Funawata Bridge which crosses the river. Google's images of the area were last updated in 2013, at which time there appeared to be a lot of building work going on around the bridge and the river. I'm not sure what it looks like now. (Link) This is as far as you can get on Google Maps because after that you're on the trail in the mountains and the forests.

According to the official trail website (Link) you quickly climb from 400m (1300ft) to 1100m (3600ft) over a distance of 4km (2.48mi) to reach the peak of the Miura-toge Pass. The route is rated 4.5 out of 5 because it's VERY difficult. Steep embankments, ravines, narrow paths, etc. At times you're almost rock climbing.

At 3km (1.86mi) into the hike there is the Sanju-cho water spring and other ancient remains and markers. It's possible that if you were to go off the trail for any reason, this would be where you'd do it. But it appears everything is marked so I'm not sure how you'd get lost.

The trail is about 18km (11.18mi) from Mandokoro to Pattie's next stop in Totsukawa. The peak of the Miura-toge Pass is only 4km (2.48mi) into the trail, although it's a very difficult hike to get there. At the peak is a toilet and a covered shelter, so the chance that Pattie had to step off the trail for a call of nature is perhaps not high, although still possible. At the peak there is also a forestry road which could potentially be used if you had reason to step away from the trail--or if somebody wanted to abduct you.

I won't go further at this point because TBH, I doubt Pattie even made it to the Pass. But the whole route to that point is just mountainous forest with a few streams. All sight-seeing spots are clearly marked. You could easily get lost if you went off the trail but I can't really understand why anyone would.

Thank you for those additional insights and links. Great work.

 

[annpats]

I don’t know how to bring a screenshot of Pattie’s post here, but on that same FB page under a discussion on phones, she wrote:

When she says “going to try e-sim” it makes me think she hasn’t used it before. MOO. Just noting.

Ahhh, I see your point. So she may have tried to use/get/download an e-SIM but it may not have worked or connected to a network. Perhaps she was just using WiFi at the guesthouses and didn't actually have cell network...?

I usually buy a SIM card when I'm overseas, but have never used an e-SIM myself.
You can't go wrong with buying a little chip and putting it in your phone. You can see if it works straight away.

I'm not sure how e-SIMs work (other than there is no physical chip).
Could there be potential problems downloading it and/or it not working on properly on your phone? I think it could be possible.

She'd been in Japan a while by this point, so would have known before she got on the trail if it was or wasn't working right.

That's another detail that may be uncovered if/when police get access to her phone details.

 

[annpats]

I’d personally go with the spare pair of shoes. If nothing but some small light weight street shoes. Because we were backcountry camping, We hiked 10-12 miles in snow and rain, with 40+ pounds of gear. Yes, we were fit and also younger, But…. a pair of shoes isn’t much weight, and could be very valuable. What if your shoes got wet, as in drenched.
Best to be prepared, old Scout motto.

I do agree.

However on that Facebook thread that Pattie posted asking about hiking shoes, at least 2 people said not to bother taking a spare pair and just take one decent hybrid pair.....mainly due to weight concerns.

I have read on here and in news reports, that Pattie was already quite an accomplished hiker, and had done several walks in different countries.....so you think she would already have known what hiking shoes would work best for her, and also what weight in she could comfortably manage in her backpack.

The way she asked the question was like from someone who'd never really been hiking before, so I was a bit surprised. She wasn't asking any specialist or technical shoe questions. People were even recommending shoe brands to her.

I wonder if she did have shoe trouble and they were rubbing her, or were uncomfortable, and she stepped off the trail to soak her feet in a cool stream, but then slipped and hit her head, becoming unconscious....?

It's another plausible theory. (One of many!)

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

This may not be at all relevant, given the warning is from June 2019 and may not even be there anymore... but this is a warning about a bear in the area:

Kohechi Funato Bridge · Yamaten, Totsukawa, Yoshino District, Nara 637-1222, Japan

★★★★☆ · Bridge

www.google.com

 

[slowpoke]

Ahhh, I see your point. So she may have tried to use/get/download an e-SIM but it may not have worked or connected to a network. Perhaps she was just using WiFi at the guesthouses and didn't actually have cell network...?

I usually buy a SIM card when I'm overseas, but have never used an e-SIM myself.
You can't go wrong with buying a little chip and putting it in your phone. You can see if it works straight away.

I'm not sure how e-SIMs work (other than there is no physical chip).
Could there be potential problems downloading it and/or it not working on properly on your phone? I think it could be possible.

She'd been in Japan a while by this point, so would have known before she got on the trail if it was or wasn't working right.

That's another detail that may be uncovered if/when police get access to her phone details.

On the 4/28 update at the G F M page, it said:
“My mother was using an Esim while traveling in Japan and we were able to login to her account to see how much data she had left (about 2GB). We were also able to determine which Japanese mobile phone companies have a contract with her Esim. We are still pushing to get this information!”
- - -

We don’t know how many gb she started with, but the statement makes it sound like Pattie had successfully been using it, I guess.

It just seems like, then, she is In an area of no cell service, her phone broke, or she was incapacitated.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

It just seems like, then, she is In an area of no cell service, her phone broke, or she was incapacitated.

When Pattie's family hiked the trail I believe they said they had cell service along the whole route. It would be strange (although sadly not impossible) for Pattie's phone not to have service if others did. But I think Pattie's husband also said she had told him she might not be able to contact him for a few days, so who knows.

It's all very odd.

 

[slowpoke]

When Pattie's family hiked the trail I believe they said they had cell service along the whole route. It would be strange (although sadly not impossible) for Pattie's phone not to have service if others did. But I think Pattie's husband also said she had told him she might not be able to contact him for a few days, so who knows.

It's all very odd.

Yes, that’s right; I do recall them saying there was cell service the whole way on the trail.

But, what if she fell down into a deep valley area off the trail. Would there be cell service down there? Or maybe the phone broke or got lost as she fell.

MOO

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Yes, that’s right; I do recall them saying there was cell service the whole way on the trail.

But, what if she fell down into a deep valley area off the trail. Would there be cell service down there? Or maybe the phone broke or got lost as she fell.

MOO

I don't think falling into a valley would make much difference unless the signal was already on the borderline of being too weak. Pattie's family said they had a signal along the whole route, but I'd be interested to know how strong the signal was.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

this is a really out there idea, but I was reading about trails....apparenly some of the shrines do not allow women:

Dorogawa Onsen TownscapeThe ryokan in Dorogawa have hosted people making the pilgrimage along the Omine-Okugake Trail for centuries.History & Culture Dorogawa Onsen
From Dorogawa Onsen, you can hike up Mt. Omine to resume the trail and continue south. Considered sacred, the mountain is home to Ohminesanji Temple. Shugendo practitioners come from far and wide to make pilgrimages here during summer. The path up the mountain and the temple are off-limits to women.

Could she have strayed into an "off limits" area? Since she was a planner and did a lot of research, I would think "no," but I am just searching for possibilities.

Really appreciate new thoughts and ideas like this

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I've taken another good look at the maps of the Miura-toge Pass portion of the Kumano-Kodo trail, hoping to get a better idea not just of the terrain, but of how the terrain changes and also the amenities available along the route.

From the Mandokoro guesthouse to the trailhead is about 0.7km (0.45mi) travelling mostly along the Route 733 road. (Link) This is quite a narrow, winding mountain road, with a steep mountain side to the left and a steep drop down towards the Kanno River on the right. (Link) I've got to be honest, even this relatively short section of road looks pretty dangerous if a car came speeding around one of the corners.

SBM: wow, @Interested_But_Confused - this is great, thanks for sharing your work and insight!

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Continuing on from my previous post about the route through the Miura-toge Pass, the mountainous portion doesn't seem to differ much along the entire route--although there are more roads in the mountains as you descend towards Nishinaka. (Link)

The Kumano Kodo trail descends from the mountains down a very narrow and perilous-looking concrete slope at the side of Route 425 near the Nishinaka bus stop. (Link) You come out directly onto the mountain road; there is a toilet shortly before you come out onto the road, and you can buy refreshments at numerous places along the road. At this point you're about 10km (6.2mi) along the trail and have to travel a further 8km (5mi) along Route 425 before reaching Totsukawa Onsen where the next guesthouse is located.

8km (5mi) along a mountain road with no pavement, a steep mountainside to the left, and a steep drop down to the Nishi-gawa River on the right. (Link) There are many houses and other buildings along Route 425, a number of which have CCTV according to Pattie's family. Pattie doesn't appear to have been seen on any CCTV, which suggests she never made it out of the mountains and onto the road.

I can't deny the trail looks beautiful, but safe? I'm not so sure about that.

 

[slowpoke]

It’s Mother’s Day here in the US. I am thinking of Pattie, and I’m thinking how especially difficult this day must be for her family.

It’s obvious she is a great mom and role model—just look at how her kids have come together with their dad and mobilized in a country far from their own, doing everything they can think of to find her.

Special thoughts for her today as I gather with my own family.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

The focus has understandably been on the portion of the trail Pattie was going to be walking on the day she went missing, but I also decided to look at the two preceding portions of the trail that Pattie had presumably walked.

The first portion, Mizugamine Peak (Link), is just as difficult as the Miura-toge Pass portion that Pattie was scheduled to walk. It's also a 4.5 difficulty rating, climbing from 800m (2625ft) to 1000m (3280ft), then down to 600m (1970ft), then back up to 1100m (3610ft), before descending down to 600m(1970ft) again. The terrain is similar, with similar long periods of walking on the mountain roads. This portion has a clear warning to watch out for vehicles on the road.

The second portion, Obako-toge Peak (Link) is even more difficult with a 5 difficulty rating. This portion is almost entirely through the forest with few road sections. It climbs from 600m (1970ft) to over 1200m (3940ft) in a distance of just 3km (1.85mi), and then descends down to 350m (1150ft) for the next 10km (6.2mi). This portion has a number of warnings about narrow trails with sheer cliffs to the side. It's a VERY dangerous trail.

If Pattie managed the previous two portions of the trail without issue, Miura-toge Pass should have been pretty easy for her by comparison. But then... how do we know she found the previous two sections easy? We know she made it to the Mandokoro guesthouse but that's all we know.

 

[otto]

I haven't followed this discussion, but here's another map in case it hasn't already been posted. It shows elevations and trails in the area.

OpenTopoMap - Topographische Karten aus OpenStreetMap

direkt zur Karte...

opentopomap.org

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

I haven't followed this discussion, but here's another map in case it hasn't already been posted. It shows elevations and trails in the area.

OpenTopoMap - Topographische Karten aus OpenStreetMap

direkt zur Karte...

opentopomap.org

Thank you for posting this. The interesting thing is that based on this trail map, there are only two ways you could go from the trail head: the correct way, or along a roughly 2.5km trail that leads back to Route 733.

Even if you missed the entrance to the trailhead, there are just houses and roads. I don't see how Pattie could have gotten lost before entering the trail because there doesn't appear to be anywhere to go.

It leads me to conclude that Pattie either had an accident on the road before reaching the trail, was the victim of foul play of some description before reaching the trail... or that something happened to her on the trail, but whatever it was left no signs of her ever having been there. Which would be a little bit weird.

 

[otto]

Thank you for posting this. The interesting thing is that based on this trail map, there are only two ways you could go from the trail head: the correct way, or along a roughly 2.5km trail that leads back to Route 733.

Even if you missed the entrance to the trailhead, there are just houses and roads. I don't see how Pattie could have gotten lost before entering the trail because there doesn't appear to be anywhere to go.

It leads me to conclude that Pattie either had an accident on the road before reaching the trail, was the victim of foul play of some description before reaching the trail... or that something happened to her on the trail, but whatever it was left no signs of her ever having been there. Which would be a little bit weird.

Trying to get up to speed ... which are the two guesthouses? Is it this link that you posted upthread?

"Family members said they had also discovered multiple white banners reading "Kohechi Trail" that were hung from trees on a path directly across from the actual Kohechi Route, which Wu-Murad intended to hike. Trail maintenance workers subsequently removed the banners, according to the family.
...

Family members of a local woman who disappeared in Japan a month ago say they have returned to the possibility that she may have fallen victim to a crime.
...

Patricia "Pattie" Wu-Murad, a Storrs resident, vanished while hiking along the Kohechi route of the Kumano Kodo trail
...

Wu-Murad was last seen checking out of a guesthouse in Osaka around 7 a.m. on April 10 and was reported missing to local authorities around 8:15 p.m. when she failed to check into a second guesthouse about 11 miles down the trail"

CT woman missing in Japan might be 'victim of a crime,' family says

Family members of Storrs resident Patricia Wu-Murad, who disappeared in Japan a month...

www.ctinsider.com

 

[otto]

Was she seen at the bridge? Is this map correct? Do we know where the incorrect signs were hanging in trees leading to the wrong path?

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Trying to get up to speed ... which are the two guesthouses? Is it this link that you posted upthread?

"Family members said they had also discovered multiple white banners reading "Kohechi Trail" that were hung from trees on a path directly across from the actual Kohechi Route, which Wu-Murad intended to hike. Trail maintenance workers subsequently removed the banners, according to the family.
...

Family members of a local woman who disappeared in Japan a month ago say they have returned to the possibility that she may have fallen victim to a crime.
...

Patricia "Pattie" Wu-Murad, a Storrs resident, vanished while hiking along the Kohechi route of the Kumano Kodo trail
...

Wu-Murad was last seen checking out of a guesthouse in Osaka around 7 a.m. on April 10 and was reported missing to local authorities around 8:15 p.m. when she failed to check into a second guesthouse about 11 miles down the trail"

CT woman missing in Japan might be 'victim of a crime,' family says

Family members of Storrs resident Patricia Wu-Murad, who disappeared in Japan a month...

www.ctinsider.com

On the link I posted earlier the Minshuku Mandokoro guesthouse is where Pattie stayed the night before she went missing. The Kohechi Funawata Bridge leads to the trailhead.

The description of "multiple white banners reading "Kohechi Trail" that were hung from trees on a path directly across from the actual Kohechi Route" sounds very much like the 2.5km trail that leads back to the road. Even if Pattie went down that trail it doesn't sound like she would have gotten lost. It's a 30 minute walk back to the same road she started on.

Pattie was planning to stay at a guesthouse in Totsukawa Onsen on the evening she went missing. (Link)

 

[ZaZara]

The focus has understandably been on the portion of the trail Pattie was going to be walking on the day she went missing, but I also decided to look at the two preceding portions of the trail that Pattie had presumably walked.

The first portion, Mizugamine Peak (Link), is just as difficult as the Miura-toge Pass portion that Pattie was scheduled to walk. It's also a 4.5 difficulty rating, climbing from 800m (2625ft) to 1000m (3280ft), then down to 600m (1970ft), then back up to 1100m (3610ft), before descending down to 600m(1970ft) again. The terrain is similar, with similar long periods of walking on the mountain roads. This portion has a clear warning to watch out for vehicles on the road.

The second portion, Obako-toge Peak (Link) is even more difficult with a 5 difficulty rating. This portion is almost entirely through the forest with few road sections. It climbs from 600m (1970ft) to over 1200m (3940ft) in a distance of just 3km (1.85mi), and then descends down to 350m (1150ft) for the next 10km (6.2mi). This portion has a number of warnings about narrow trails with sheer cliffs to the side. It's a VERY dangerous trail.

If Pattie managed the previous two portions of the trail without issue, Miura-toge Pass should have been pretty easy for her by comparison. But then... how do we know she found the previous two sections easy? We know she made it to the Mandokoro guesthouse but that's all we know.

Pattie had twice hiked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and part of the Shikoku trail in Japan.

The Camino de Santiago is a walk in the park (albeit a long one) in comparison to the Kohechi trail. The Kohechi trail is 'a totally different league' according to someone who walked both. (I read this on a camino forum.)

IMO Patrtie could be overdoing it.

Was she seen at the bridge?

View attachment 422358

Otto, do read the thread.
As far as we know, no one saw her after her host had walked her towards the trail head.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Was she seen at the bridge?

View attachment 422358

Pattie wasn't seen (that we know of) after the guesthouse owner guided her partway to the trailhead. On the image you just posted you can see the "Funato Bridge" (called "Funawata Bridge" by Google) with two trails leading away from it.

The lower trail is the one Pattie was supposed to be hiking that day through the mountains. The upper trail just seems to lead back to the road after following the river for a couple of kilometres.