Connecticut mom's remains found 2 years after she vanished in Japan

The remains of a Connecticut pistillate who went missing connected a hike successful Japan 2 years agone person been recovered, her family announced.

Pattie Wu-Murad disappeared successful April 2023 during a solo hiking travel successful cardinal Japan. Despite an extended hunt astir the Kumano Kodo Trail, which included American and Japanese hunt and rescue teams, the U.S. Embassy and the FBI, nary hint of her was found.

In September 2024, much than a twelvemonth and a fractional aft her disappearance, a fisherman recovered Wu-Murad's backpack and 1 hiking footwear adjacent a watercourse connected a antithetic way from wherever her household primitively believed she was hiking, the household said. Japanese officials launched different hunt successful that area, but nary further grounds was found.

Earlier this year, a subordinate of the archetypal U.S. hunt squad who was successful Japan successful April, retraced the country wherever Wu-Murad's backpack was recovered and discovered respective different of her idiosyncratic items and what appeared to beryllium a femur, her household said successful a station connected societal media.

Update connected Pattie: On Friday, May 9, 2025, our household received confirmation that our beloved wife, mother, sister,...

Posted by Kirk Murad on Saturday, May 17, 2025

On May 9, the household was told that DNA investigating utilizing a illustration from Wu-Murad's girl confirmed the remains were a match.

"Although we had tried to hole ourselves for this outcome, the finality of this quality is heartbreaking," her household said successful a Facebook post. "It offers a measurement of closure, but galore questions stay unanswered, including the nonstop circumstances and origin of Pattie's death. We present statesman the process of moving done planetary protocols to bring her remains home."

Wu-Murad's household said they anticipation much grounds volition beryllium recovered to shed airy connected what happened.

"There'll beryllium much radical connected that way implicit the coming months and years, and possibly they'll travel crossed much evidence," her husband, Kirk Murad, told NBC Connecticut.

The household expressed their gratitude for the hunt teams, volunteers and outpouring of enactment they received implicit the past 2 years.

"Pattie was an unthinkable pistillate whose emotion and relationship touched galore lives," they said. "While we are devastated, we are besides humbled by the planetary assemblage that rallied to assistance find her. We volition proceed to grant her representation with emotion and gratitude successful our hearts."

In:
• Missing Woman
• Connecticut
• Japan