Update from daughter
New update from Murphy:
On May 24 I flew to Japan to meet with our fourth wave of search and rescue specialists from the US. We managed to find a five day window with little to no rain to maximize our time before typhoon season hit. Six of the seven members had been a part of at least one or more of our previous teams. Their familiarity with the terrain and ongoing knowledge of our case allowed for a precise and efficient trip.
During our time in Japan we worked closely with Mountain Works, our local SAR team. The American team focused largely on filling in the gaps around Miura-toge pass and exploring drainages off the main trail that had yet to be covered. Simultaneously, Mountain Works spent their time covering as much new territory as possible on an alternate route north of the main trail head. Both teams were out in the field for 9+ hours per day, tirelessly covering miles upon miles of ground, and thoroughly investigating numerous possibilities to unravel the mystery surrounding my mother’s disappearance.
Meanwhile, I was able to meet with the local police and gather information from different sources. The telecommunication companies have said they are unable to track Patricia’s E-sim because it is not a Japanese number. Both my family and the prefectural police have countered asking if the telecommunication companies are unable to track any foreign SIM cards which is highly unlikely and incredibly problematic. We are still pushing for this information through the National Police and the FBI.
The Gojo police confronted the man who had invited a New York native to his home on April 20 to practice English and he has been deemed unsuspicious. It turns out he was not targeting solo female hikers, and instead was confronting any man, woman, or couple that seemingly spoke English. His alibi on April 10 was confirmed and was relatively far from the village where Patricia went missing.
We were able to get in contact with the trail runners who were running the Kohechi route on April 10 and unfortunately their detailed report did not provide any new information or suggestions as to Pattie’s whereabouts. We were also able to obtain information regarding nearby construction along the Kohechi trail and there was no known activity conducted on the day of my mother’s disappearance. At this point, the police are unable to provide any leads regarding criminal behavior but will provide the family with biweekly reports.
At the end of each day, Mountain Works would conduct debriefing sessions with the American team and me, providing detailed explanations of their daily progress and engaging in collaborative discussions to strategize for the upcoming day. Despite everyone’s dedicated efforts, at the end of our five day window we were unable to find any new leads.
On our final night, each member of the search team expressed their individual perspectives and reflections regarding our collective search efforts: This is the largest search effort the Japanese team has ever seen. One of our American members said this is the most ground he’s ever seen covered for a single case and expressed admiration for the exceptional accuracy exhibited by every group that had participated in the search. Two members from the US said based on the extensive work that had been completed, their respective organizations would not have allocated any additional resources because of how well everything was organized and covered. If we had the time, resources and financial capacity to search every trail in the area with as much depth and precision as we did this one, we would. However, the reality is all search efforts have stopped as of May 30 due to the underwhelming amount of evidence found.
As heartbreaking as it is to have come up empty handed, all of these comments are thanks to you. The amount of work we were able to accomplish would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our family, friends, community, and the remarkable individuals we encountered in Totsukawa.
Any additional funds will be set aside in the event we find new information regarding Pattie’s case. Members of Mountain Works have agreed to continue as volunteers if any new leads arise. We will no longer accept new donations on our after June 10, marking the two month anniversary of Pattie’s disappearance.
To anyone who donated even a penny to our funds, thank you. To everyone who sent myself or my family heartfelt messages along the way, thank you. To all the communities that gave my family strength during this time, thank you. To our family friends who were in Japan at the time of Pattie’s disappearance and played a pivotal role in the initial days of organizing this entire ordeal, thank you. To the local police for bringing resources outside of their jurisdiction to help aid in our search efforts, thank you. To all of our local and international volunteers, thank you. To the men and women that put everything on hold to fly out and tackle the unforgiving terrain to help find Pattie, thank you. To our extended family that worked behind the scenes running social media, getting our story out, and helping us garner support from US government officials, thank you. To Mountain Works, Hora and Yamada, for putting the most substantial amount of time out on the trail over the past 50 days, thank you. To our new friends turned family in Totsukawa, who provided support directly to myself and my family, thank you. We are deeply indebted to everyone’s kindness and generosity.
And finally, to Mom, thank you. All these people came together because of the profound influence you have had on our family and the impact you have had on so many different people around the world. In a time of chaos, thank you for reigniting everyone’s faith in humanity. Thank you for instilling in us the strength and resilience to keep moving forward each and every day without you by our side. Thank you for bringing us together with such incredible people, you have shown us the true essence of why you love these trips so much.
We love you Mama. Thank you for being you.
New update from Murphy: On May 24 I flew to Japan to meet with our fourth wave of search and rescue specialists from the US. We managed to find a five day window with little to no rain to maximize...
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