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Patricia Wu-Murad, a resident of the Storrs village in Tolland County, was last seen the morning of Monday, April 10 before she set out to continue her hike of the Kumano Kodo trail in Osaka, Japan, according to a GoFundMe created by Patricia's daughter, Murphy Murad.
The US Embassy notified Patricia's family that she had gone missing on Thursday, April 14 after three days of searching.
The private search and rescue team began looking for Patricia in the early morning on Sunday, April 16, searching the areas of the trail where hikers are more likely to get lost, fall from heights, or get swept up by the nearby river.
These places showed no sign of Patricia, leading the team to assume that a very irregular situation occurred, according to Murphy.
The family has pled with local authorities to continue the search for Patricia, but say that authorities are reluctant to do so because of a lack of leads and "limited resources over the weekends."
This led the family to launch the GoFundMe to rally the financial support urgently needed to continue the search.
The funds, which exceed $100,000 in just three days, will go towards a helicopter for an aerial search as well as costs of insurance, accommodations, and guides.
"Every dollar counts and any amount you can contribute will make a significant difference in our efforts to find our mom and wife," Murphy wrote. "We are determined to bring her home safely, but we cannot do it alone."
The family's next steps include urging the Gojo Police Department to help them with their search, interviewing guesthouses Patricia stayed at or planned to, and stopping at major checkpoints where she may have been seen.
Click here to visit the GoFundMe webpage.
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