Family of Connecticut woman who vanished on solo hiking trip in Japan give tragic update

Daily Mail​

18-05-2025

The remains of a missing Connecticut mother-of-three who vanished more than two years ago on a solo hiking expedition through Japan have been discovered.
Patricia 'Pattie' Wu-Murad, 60, was last seen on April 10, 2023, when she checked out of the Mandokoro guesthouse in Higashiōmi city.
She was due to stay at the Taiyo-no-yu guesthouse 11.2 miles away Osaka that night, and her family believed she was planning to follow a scenic hiking trail along the Kumano Kodo, which should have taken her seven to nine hours.
But Wu-Murad never arrived and her family launched a years-long search to find the recently retired avid hiker.
However, the family announced to the Facebook group Help Find Pattie on Saturday that her remains had been found.
'On Friday, May 9, 2025, our family received confirmation that our beloved Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Aunt, and Friend, Pattie Wu-Murad, is deceased,' the family said.
'Despite an extensive international search effort that involved 24 American search and rescue (SAR) professionals, local Japanese SAR experts, law enforcement, U.S. Embassy officials in both Japan and Washington, D.C., the FBI, and Senator Richard Blumenthal, no trace of Pattie was found in the months following her disappearance.'
The family revealed that after almost a year and a half with no developments, Wu-Murad's belongings were discovered in September 2024.
'A fisherman discovered Pattie's backpack and one hiking shoe near a stream closer to a different trail from where we originally believed she was hiking,' they said.
'Upon this discovery, Japanese police conducted a search of that region for several days, but again, no further evidence was found.'
They finally made a break through on April 27 when a member of their original search team was back in Japan and decided to retrace the area where the backpack was found.
'During his hike, he discovered several of Pattie's personal items and what appeared to be a femur. He delivered the remains to the local Japanese police, who confirmed they were human,' the family said.
'DNA testing was performed, and on May 9, we were notified that the remains were a match to Pattie, through comparison with our daughter's DNA.'
The family said they were devastated to learn the news and still have many unanswered questions about what happened to Wu-Murad.
'Although we had tried to prepare ourselves for this outcome, the finality of this news is heartbreaking,' they said.
'It offers a measure of closure, but many questions remain unanswered, including the exact circumstances and cause of Pattie's death. We now begin the process of working through international protocols to bring her remains home.
'Pattie was an incredible woman whose love and friendship touched many lives. While we are devastated, we are also humbled by the global community that rallied to help find her. We will continue to honor her memory with love and gratitude in our hearts.'
Her husband, Kirk, told DailyMail.com in June 2023 that his 'gut' told him his wife may have 'trusted the wrong person.'
'My gut tells me that Pattie perhaps trusted the wrong person by accepting a ride and became a victim,' he said after searches were called off, 'but there is no evidence that occurred.
'I think she struck up a conversation with someone and trusted them enough to accept a ride from them. Her toe was giving her problems, so it's possible she accepted a ride and then was abducted.'
The last time he spoke to his wife was the eve of April 7. The couple, who have been best friend since 1986 and married in 1990, spoke on Facetime before their lives changed forever.
'She said she was going to hike the Kumano Kodo trail and may not be reachable for about four days,' he said. 'She had a big smile on her face.'
Kirk said his wife had traveled on a two-month pilgrimage where she went to Spain and France, and another month where she hiked in Jordan and Egypt. The couple was planning to travel to Spain together that June.
'She wanted me to experience the Camino de Santiago, and she already had plans for another two-month trip in the fall of 2024.'
He described his life partner as 'very trusting.' 'That's what helped her make so many friends from her previous hikes,' he said.