Her family announced that the body of a Connecticut woman who went missing on a hike in Japan two years ago has been recovered.
Pattie Wu-Murad disappeared during a hike in central Japan in April 2023. Despite extensive searches on the Kumano Kodo Trail, including search and rescue teams in the United States and Japan, the U.S. Embassy and the FBI, no trace of her was found.
The family said that in September 2024, a fisherman discovered Wu-Murad's backpack and a hiking shoe near a stream, a year and a half after her disappearance, a fisherman found a different trail from the family's initially thought she was hiking. Japanese officials conducted another search in the area, but found no further evidence.
Earlier this year, her family said in a social media post that earlier this year was a member of the original American search team in Japan in April, who said in a social media post that the area of Wu-Murad backpack was discovered and several other personal items of her, and that it appeared to be femur.
On May 9, the whole family was told that DNA tests were used for Wu-Murad's daughter's samples to confirm that the remains were matched.
"Although we tried to prepare for this result, the ending of this news is heartbreaking," her family said in a Facebook post. "It provides a closed measure, but many issues remain unresolved, including the exact circumstances and reasons for Patty's death. We are now beginning the process of bringing her body home through international agreements."
Wu-Murad's family said they hope to find more evidence that elucidates what happened.
"In the coming months and years, there will be more people on the road and maybe they will encounter more evidence," her husband Kirk Murad told NBC Connecticut.
The family expressed their gratitude to the search team, volunteers and the support they received over the past two years.
“Patty is an incredible woman whose love and friendship touches many lives,” they said. “Although we are frustrated, we are also humbled by the global community that gathers to help her find her. We will continue to respect her memories with love and gratitude in our hearts.”