Patricia Wu-Murad.Photo: GoFundMe
A Connecticut woman meticulously planned all the details of a pilgrimage to Japan. Then, she disappeared.
Patricia Wu-Murad, 61, was in the midst of a700-mile solo journey hiking the Kumano Kodo trailwhen she was reported missing on April 10, according to Insider.
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 GoFundMe. 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 toNBC Connecticut.
Patricia Wu-Murad.GoFundMe
After she was reported missing, local police launched a “72-hour search from April 11-13 with 26 officers and helicopters,” Wu-Murad’s daughter, Murphy Murad, wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page.
When they were “unable to find any leads,” she said that local authorities “were reluctant to restart the search because they did not have any leads and have ‘limited resources over the weekends.'”
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According to her family, Wu-Murad planned to travel to Osaka, meeting up with friends on Sunday.
“Our family friends went to the location hoping she would show up but after waiting for a few hours, walking around both temples, and showing Pattie’s picture around, they came out empty handed,” her daughter wrote on the GoFundMe page.
After “pleading with local authorities to continue the search,” the family said they launched the fundraising campaign so they could “take matters into our own hands,” hiring a private team and traveling overseas to “begin looking for her ourselves.”
“We are desperate to find her,” her daughter wrote on the page, which has raised over $114,000 as of Wednesday.
Now, Wu-Murad’s husband, Kirk Murad, and two of their three children are in Japan to help with the search, per Insider.
In the latest update on the fundraising page, Wu-Murad’s daughter wrote that she and her father had visited a local police department on Tuesday.
According to her notes from the meeting, the search for Wu-Murad was “reopened” on April 18.
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The latest update on their private search and rescue team was shared on Monday.
“[They] have so far come up empty but will be continuing their efforts,” Wu-Murad’s daughter wrote.
According to Insider, the family has been told there had been recent mudslides on the trail.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal told Insider he has “contacted the State Department and the White House to assist and will continue helping the Murad family through every avenue available.”
The family hopes to find Wu-Murad ahead of her 33rd wedding anniversary next month, according to the outlet.
“[Kirk] wants to bring her home because he wants to celebrate,” Murad-Caruso said.
“We are determined to bring her home safely,” her daughter wrote on GoFundMe.
source: people.com
