Former S'pore basketball coach's wife, missing for 2 years, confirmed dead in Japan
After more than two years since she was last seen leaving a Nara guesthouse for a hiking trail in Japan, Ms Patricia Wu-Murad, wife of a former Singapore women's basketball coach, has been confirmed dead by her family.
Her family received confirmation of her death on May 9, said her husband Kirk Murad.
Pattie, as the Taiwanese-American woman was known to those close to her, was reported missing on April 10, 2023 after not showing up at another inn she had reserved. She had planned to stay there after her estimated seven- to eight-hour hike along the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route in Japan's southern Kansai region.
A search for the 60-year-old retiree had involved dozens of search and rescue professionals from the US and Japan, local police, embassy officials and a personal intervention from US Senator for Connecticut Richard Blumenthal for local authorities to restart the search after initial efforts proved futile.
Over the past two years, there were a couple of incremental discoveries, one of which led to a conclusive finding.
Ms Wu-Murad's backpack and a hiking shoe were found by a local fisherman in a stream near another hiking trail in September 2024.
In April 2025, a rescuer hired by the family found several of her personal items and what appeared to be a femur, or thigh bone, in the area where the backpack was found.
Ms Patricia Wu-Murad's backpack was found by a person fishing in Totsukawa village near a stream in September 2024, around 18 months after she went missing. FACEBOOK/Help Find Pattie
Checks compared the remains to their daughter's DNA and proved a match, said Mr Murad.
"(The discovery) offers a measure of closure, but many questions remain unanswered, including the exact circumstances and cause of Pattie's death," wrote Mr Murad, who had led the Singapore basketball team at the 2017 SEA Games and was also a visiting lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic from 2000 to 2003, on Facebook.
"We finally have time to grieve because we never really grieved her passing," he said. "It was just... always hoping that 0.1 per cent chance that she might still be alive."
Now based in the United States, he thanked search and rescue team members who did not accept payment beyond their expenses.
Initial search operations for Ms Wu-Murad in 2023 were conducted by their daughter Murphy Murad. The family raised more than US$200,000 (S$260,000) for the search.
Based in Singapore, Ms Murad had been the family member living closest to Japan. After the latest of her mother's remains were found, she also returned to the Kansai region to tie up loose ends with the local authorities and rescuers.
"Returning to Japan was equally nostalgic and heartbreaking," she wrote on Facebook. "Having the American SAR expert guide me through the terrain in which my mother's remains were found was empowering and helped paint a better picture of where it all went wrong."
Ms Murad is general manager of Fastbreak Basketball Club, which conducts private training programmes in Singapore. She has also won the Women's National Basketball League playing for Siglap Basketball Club.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Gold medallist Thomas harassed by bettor at Grand Slam Track
Gabby Thomas competing in the women's 200m on the Grand Slam Track-Philadelphia on May 31. PHOTO: AFP NEW YORK - Three-times Olympic gold medallist Gabby Thomas said she was verbally abused at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia last weekend, the latest incident of harassment the American has reported in 2025. Thomas, who won gold in the 200 metres, and 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the Paris Games, said in a post on X that a man followed her around the track while she took pictures for fans and signed autographs, shouting personal insults at her. "Anybody who enables him online is gross," wrote Thomas. Thomas' post was in response to another on X which contained a video of a person heckling Thomas while she was on the starting line, shouting "you're a choke artist - you're going down, Gabby". "I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win," the social media user wrote, with a screenshot of two multi-leg bets on the FanDuel sportsbook platform. The track circuit said in a statement: "Grand Slam Track is conducting a full investigation into the reprehensible behavior captured on video. We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. "We will implement additional safeguards to help prevent incidents like this in the future. Let us be clear, despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated." Thomas finished third overall in the short sprints group for the Philadelphia meet, the third in the novel circuit's inaugural season. One of American track's brightest stars, the 28-year-old Thomas catapulted to mainstream fame after her breakout performance in Paris, gracing the cover of American "Vogue" magazine and appearing on US talk shows. But Thomas has also suffered the darker side of fame, describing on TikTok this year how she was stalked by a group of men at several airports, as social media gives female athletes greater exposure. The incident at Grand Slam Track also reflected a growing link between sports betting and harassment, with female tennis players including Caroline Garcia pointing to "unhealthy betting" as a key culprit. Major tennis governing bodies moved to combat online abuse and published last year a report that attributed nearly half of abusive social media posts to angry gamblers. "Thank you for pointing out this disgusting behavior," retired former world 10,000m silver medallist and NBC Sports commentator Kara Goucher wrote on X. "You are exposing the crap that women go through and will eventually help other women as well." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Romanian pleads guilty to 'swatting' US lawmakers and top officials
WASHINGTON - A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to participating in a years-long series of dangerous hoax phone calls and bomb threats targeting American legislators, law enforcement leaders, and government officials, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday. In a statement, the department said that Thomasz Szabo, 26, who was extradited to the United States last year, admitted targeting more than 75 officials, four religious institutions, and multiple journalists in his campaign of intimidation. Officials said Szabo targeted private residences, including the homes and families of senior government officials. Authorities say Szabo routinely phoned in bomb threats and reports of ongoing violence or hostage situations at his targets' homes or places of work, a technique called 'swatting' because it is meant to elicit the emergency deployment of heavily armed police officers. Emails seeking comment from Szabo's lawyers were not immediately returned. Justice officials described Szabo as the leader of a group that made a series of false reports to U.S. law enforcement, including a December 2020 threat to commit a mass-shooting at New York City synagogues and a January 2021 threat to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol and kill then-President-elect Joe Biden. The department said that, in a two-month period alone, members of Szabo's gang targeted at least 25 members of Congress or their family members, six then-current or former senior U.S. federal officials, "including multiple cabinet-level officials," at least 13 then-current or former senior federal law enforcement officials, including the heads of multiple federal law enforcement agencies. Others targeted included members of the federal judiciary, state government officials, and members of the media. It was during that time that one of Szabo's subordinates boasted of "creating massive havoc" in the United States, the department said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
International Business Times
4 days ago
- International Business Times
How Did Bernard Kerik Die? Former NYPD Commissioner Dubbed 'America's Cop' Who Fell from Grace Dies Aged 69 as Tributes Pour In
Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, famously dubbed "America's Cop" for his leadership during the 9/11 attacks, died on Thursday due to cardiac disease. Kerik was 69 years old and died at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, surrounded by his loved ones, the New York Post reported. He had a career marked by both success and controversy. Kerik shot to fame in 2000 when then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani appointed him as New York City's police commissioner and presided over a 63% decline in violent crime. As the city's 40th police commissioner, Kerik was also dubbed the "beat cop commissioner" for his active, on-the-ground leadership, making five arrests during his 16-month tenure as the commissioner. Star in His Own Right This included one case where he arrested two former convicts in Harlem who were driving a stolen van. Kerik's law enforcement career spanned over 40 years and included work in national security. He led the NYPD during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, directing the department's response, rescue, recovery, and investigation operations. His swift and strategic deployment of officers in the aftermath of the Twin Towers tragedy earned him widespread praise and the title "America's Cop." "For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11," the Finest said on X. "We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones." Mayor Eric Adams, who once served as an NYPD captain, mourned the death of his friend of 30 years. "It was just this afternoon that I stopped by the hospital to see Bernie Kerik, my friend of nearly 30 years, before his passing," Hizonner said. "He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend." FBI Director Kash Patel, also a longtime friend, said Kerik was "a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known." "With over 40 years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people. As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation's history," Patel said in a statement. "His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild and the country he served with honor." An Eventful Life Kerik was born on September 4, 1955, in Newark, New Jersey. Before starting his law enforcement career, he served in the U.S. Army. In 1986, he joined the NYPD, and later in 1994, he joined the Department of Corrections. Four years later, Giuliani appointed him as commissioner of that department, paving the way for his eventual role as head of the NYPD. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, President George W. Bush named Kerik to lead the temporary police force in the war-torn country. After his public service roles, he founded the Kerik Group, a private consulting firm specializing in crisis and risk management. In 2004, Bush nominated Kerik to lead the Department of Homeland Security. However, Kerik withdrew his nomination after revealing he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny. This admission led to a guilty plea in 2006 for ethics violations in the Bronx. Kerik's legal issues worsened in 2009 when he pleaded guilty to eight federal charges, including tax evasion related to a $255,000 home renovation gift and providing false information during his Homeland Security vetting process. He served four years in federal prison and was granted a pardon by President Donald Trump in 2020. In recent years, Kerik was questioned by Congress during hearings about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and was ordered to turn over Trump-related documents tied to the investigation. In 2024, he acted as a public representative for Trump on matters of crime and national security. Throughout his career, Kerik received numerous awards, including the NYPD Medal for Valor, 29 departmental awards for distinguished service, a Presidential Commendation from President Ronald Reagan, and several other prestigious honors.
