STORRS, Conn. — The family of missing hiker Patricia Wu-Murad shared an update on its GoFundMe page that's giving some hope that evidence will lead to her discovery.
Wu-Murad, who lives in Storrs, is said to be a lifelong, experienced hiker who traveled to Japan in early April. But, after Wu-Murad failed to reach her checkpoint, she was reported missing by local authorities.
The family said the U.S. Embassy notified them on April 14 of her disappearance following a 72-hour search by local authorities.
Julie Murad-Caruso, her sister-in-law and family spokesperson, told the Hartford Courant that Wu-Murad was several weeks into a pilgrimage and wouldn’t have encountered any problems on the trek unless there was an unexpected event such as a mudslide or avalanche.
Murphy Murad, Wu-Murad’s daughter, and organizer of the fundraiser, said in an update on the page that her mother had been following the Kohechi route of the Kumano Kodo trail. She was last seen on the day of her disappearance, checking out of the Mandokoro guesthouse.
According to the GoFundMe page, Wu-Murad had planned to meet with family friends at Ryozen-ji Temples on April 16.
Now, the family said on their GoFundMe page that there may be more clues as to what happened to her.
According to the family, a solo female hiker reported that a man was on the hiking trails asking if she would go home with him to "practice his English."
The family said the incident happened 10 days after Wu-Murad's disappearance on her hike. They said that information had been relayed to Japanese investigators on her case as the family had to leave Japan this month due to expenses.
Wu-Murad’s husband, Kirk Murad, told the Hartford Courant via text message that family and friends have shown them tremendous support during “this nightmare.”
“Pattie has been my best friend since 1986. We married in 1990. I want to celebrate our 33rd anniversary next month with her and both our families,” Murad wrote, according to the Courant.
There's still hope that Wu-Murad will be found.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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