Mom-Of-3 Who Was on “Bucket List” Solo Trip in Japan Has Been Missing Since 10 Days | “We Are Desperate to Find Her”

The daughter of a Connecticut woman who went missing ten days ago while on a solo trip to Japan is now seeking help from people in finding her. Patricia Wu-Murad, 61, was in the middle of a 700-mile solo trek along the Kumano Kodo path when she went missing on April 10, per Insider.

The mother of three was spotted leaving a hostel that morning at 7:00 a.m., according to a GoFundMe set up by one of her children, who is currently in Japan trying to locate her. The following evening, though, "she never showed up to her hostel," according to her sister-in-law Julie Murad-Caruso.

The day's journey should have lasted 7 to 9 hours, and based on when she was last seen, "it was estimated she should have arrived between 4-5 p.m." The next night, when she still hadn't arrived, the staff called the police and reported her missing, per WKTV.

Kirk Murad, Wu-Murad's husband, and two of their three kids are currently in Japan to assist with the hunt. Prior to her 33rd wedding anniversary the following month, the family is hoping to locate Wu-Murad. "[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. "We are desperate to find her," she added.

Wu-Murad, a Taiwanese woman who retired from United Technologies last year and traveled alone had always wanted to do this trip. "It's a peaceful journey and there's lots to do and lots to see. It's like a bucket list trip," Murad-Caruso shared about 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.

She has visited the area three times prior to this journey, per PEOPLE. Murphy Murad, Wu-Murad's daughter who set up the GoFundMe, the local police conducted a "72-hour search from April 11-13 with 26 officers and helicopters" after she was reported missing. She said that local officials were "reluctant to restart the search" because they were "unable to find any leads" and had "limited resources over the weekends." The US Embassy reportedly informed Wu-Murad's family on Friday, April 14, the day after search efforts came to an end, that she was missing.

Wu-Murad intended to visit Osaka and meet up with pals there, according to her relatives. "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."

References:

https://people.com/human-interest/connecticut-mom-three-kids-missing-japan-trip-family-searching/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-find-pattie-bring-her-home-safe

https://www.wktv.com/news/local/woman-with-family-in-utica-goes-missing-while-hiking-in-japan/article_3f239416-dd6c-11ed-81c8-ff10255bbd14.html

https://www.insider.com/missing-hiker-patricia-wu-murad-japan-family-search-2023-4

Cover Image Source: GoFundMe