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Remains of Missing Connecticut Hiker Found in Japan After Two-Year Search

DNA testing confirms the identity of Pattie Wu-Murad, whose family is now working to repatriate her remains while questions about her death persist.

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(L): Photo of Patricia Wu-Murad from a GoFundMe page organizing rescue efforts. (R) Signpost indicating Kumano Kodo, Kumano Kodo hiking pilgrimage trail, Totsukawa Commune, Nara Prefecture in Totsukawa, Japan on 24th of august 2017.
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Overview

  • Pattie Wu-Murad, a 60-year-old experienced hiker, disappeared on April 10, 2023, while hiking Japan's Kumano Kodo trail.
  • Her remains, including a femur, were discovered on April 27, 2025, by a U.S. search team member retracing an area where her belongings were found in 2024.
  • DNA testing confirmed the remains as Wu-Murad’s on May 9, 2025, offering her family a measure of closure after years of uncertainty.
  • Initial local searches in 2023 yielded no leads, prompting the family to fund an international search effort involving private teams, U.S. and Japanese authorities, and the FBI.
  • The exact circumstances and cause of Wu-Murad’s death remain unknown as her family navigates international protocols to return her remains to the U.S.