US woman missing on Japan hiking trail: Daughter joins search and rescue efforts from S’pore

When Ms Patricia Wu-Murad checked out of the Mandokoro guesthouse in Nara, Japan, on the morning of April 10, she was believed to be headed towards a mountainous pilgrimage trail.

That was the last time the 60-year-old Taiwanese-American from Connecticut in the United States was seen, according to her family.

Two days after they learnt of her disappearance from the US embassy, her family members took leave from work to kick-start search and rescue operations, as Japanese police had initially halted their search after 72 hours.

Local police were first alerted to the retiree’s disappearance by owners of another inn where Ms Wu-Murad had a reservation on the evening of April 10, which she did not show up for.

Her daughter, Ms Murphy Murad, a coach at the FastBreak Basketball Club in Singapore since 2018, was the family member geographically closest and the first to head to Japan to organise search efforts that unfortunately have so far turned out fruitless.

“It appears as though she’s vanished from the face of the earth, which we know is impossible,” she told The Straits Times over the phone from Japan on Saturday, adding that her mother was an experienced hiker who had completed month-long trails in Europe and Peru.

“We have not come up with any clues, nothing from the investigative side, nothing from the search and rescue side.”

Ms Wu-Murad, an avid hiker, can be seen in a clip from Japanese broadcaster NHK in 2022 being interviewed about walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain for a second time.

Before her family flew to Japan from the US, Ms Murad was the main point of contact for the authorities from the US, the private search team the family hired, some volunteers who flew in from the US, and Japanese police.

Local police have since April 18 restarted the search, after the family spent hours speaking to the police in Gojo, the closest major city, and a personal intervention from US Senator for Connecticut Richard Blumenthal.

“The local police saw how committed we were as a family, and we weren’t going to go away, so they wanted to help,” said Mr Kirk Murad, husband of Ms Wu-Murad, emphasising that the authorities have been very helpful.

The Japanese police have also opened up a criminal investigation so they can cover all bases, he said, although there are no suspects at the moment.

“You can see it on their faces that they’re upset that they can’t find her,” said Mr Murad, who coached the Singapore women’s national basketball team at the 2017 SEA Games and was also a visiting lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic from 2000 to 2003.

 

The Japan-based Mountain Works team comprises a network of experienced mountain guides and terrain experts who specialise in responding to searches for missing people.

The search and rescue team, including two canines, have so far been focused on pinpointing potential high-risk areas and “fall spots” based on previous cases, using tactical gear and ropes to descend into valleys and creeks, according to Mr Murad, who joined them on some of the trails for a search that has lasted two weeks.

Funding the search has been costly, with Ms Murad revealing that north of US$125,000 (S$167,000) has been spent so far on transport, accommodation and costs incurred by the rescue team, with the amount raised on a crowdfunding platform already committed to operational expenses.

With their funds drying up and little to show for their efforts, Ms Murad, who has been keeping watch over their budget, said the family has had to get by on cup noodles some days.

“We need more contributions, more volunteers. We want to get this done,” she said, adding that she is grateful for the help and supportive messages received thus far.

“It’s just frustrating to us that we have all these wonderful skilled people that all have history of success, and we can’t find her,” added Ms Murad, who also plays for Siglap Basketball Club, which competes in the Singapore Women’s National Basketball League.

Mr Kiran Nagesh, managing director at Ms Murad’s employer FastBreak, said the local girls’ basketball community is behind her and has been keenly sharing fund-raising updates on social media.

“Murphy is one of the most well-known and beloved members of our community, both among current and former students. While in Singapore, we are removed from being able to assist with logistics; we are trying to keep the campaign strong so they can continue the search until they find her,” he said, adding that the community contributed significantly to the initial target of US$30,000.

Ms Murad admitted that there may be a point where it ends up being more “detrimental” to the family to continue searching and that she would have to weigh their financial options through a “more critical and realistic” perspective.

 

“I would hate to see my family stuck in Japan for the rest of their lives, searching or focusing only on that and not being able to move on or get any type of closure,” she said. “We could easily put our entire life savings into this. I don’t want that for my family.”

But at this point, they are not giving up the search. Mr Murad is hopeful for some news to come out of Japan’s Golden Week holiday that began on Saturday, when more local hikers may attempt the 70km Kumano Kodo network of trails his wife is believed to have embarked on.

“I begin every day thinking this is the day, this is the day we will find her,” he said.

“She wouldn’t give up on me, so I don’t want to give up on her,” he added, before joining the police for another debrief he hopes will shed some light on his wife’s whereabouts, as their 33rd wedding anniversary approaches on May 19.