Hi all,
A dear friend of mine, Pattie, went missing in Japan while hiking the Kumano Kodo trail (specifically the Kohechi route) on April 10. Pattie is 61, an engineer, a seasoned traveler, a competent hiker. I don’t have any reason to believe she would’ve taken her own life, but she could be injured.
She was last seen at Minshuku Mandokoru on April 10. The Japanese Police were notified by Giyoja Minshuku Taiyo-no-Yu when Pattie didn’t show up that evening. They searched for 3 days. The US Embassy was notified on 14 April. Nothing was done in Japan during the weekend. The family is now there and have hired searchers.
We’re trying to get the case more publicity in Japan, and get in touch with anyone that might have seen her hiking on April 10.
We would appreciate any information you might have about Pattie or her disappearance, as well as any tips on getting the story more publicity in Japan.
Please direct any and all information to helpfindpattie@gmail.com
News story about the case:
https://people.com/human-interest/connecticut-mom-three-kids-missing-japan-trip-family-searching/
14 comments
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Praying for a miracle for your friend. Unfortunately rural Wakayama is quite remote–if she did fall and hurt herself, hopefully she had enough food with her to last until help arrives.
I have been following this case since seeing it posted in r/Osaka, best of luck with the Search.
Can you keep us updated.
The Kohechi trail is (edit: not the most popular but) a fairly well travelled route on the Kumano Kodo and plenty of traffic, especially at this time of year. If she was still on the route, someone would have found her by now.
Based on the information you have written, the most likely area for Pattie to have potentially taken a fall or gotten into trouble would be Hatenashi-toge, the descent of which is probably the most treacherous part of the route. I understand you have search teams out in the area and they will be better informed than me.
One other tiny possibility to note; religious cults do operate on hiking trails here and they do target non-Japanese hikers. This is more common up in the Alps than places like the Kumano Kodo, but still worth noting. I have encountered very grabby people up near Takayama before. Was Pattie the kind of person who could be persuaded to take a short rest with a suspiciously happy looking group of people at a totally legitimate tea-house?
My thoughts are with you at this difficult time, I hope you recieve some news as soon as possible.
Have you contacted the Japanese papers about writing a story about it?
FYI there is a Go-Fund Me that the family set up; it’s also quite helpful in terms of the latest information on the search efforts:
***Help find Pattie & Bring her home safe***
* https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-find-pattie-bring-her-home-safe
And, this is what I think is the “official” map and guide for the Kumano Kudo trail that includes the Kohechi Route:
* http://www2.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/pdf/Kumano-Kodo-Kohechi-Route-Maps-Complete.pdf
Would a drone operator be of any use in a search like this? The cover, I think, might make it near worthless as far as visible light search would go.
https://japantoday.com/category/national/connecticut-woman-missing-since-april-10-after-going-on-hiking-pilgrimage-in-japan-1#comments
I doubt that the US embassy was notified 3 days after the news of a missing American national was reported on multiple national and regional Japanese media outlets. They reported on the 11th, which is less than a day after she went missing. It’s kind of amazing how much publicity she got. Many Japanese people go missing while hiking in Japan every year, but most families don’t get any publicity.
I don’t have much to offer in assistance but I have shared the article on my Facebook page with the ask for help from anyone in the area. I really hope that she is found safe. Please give us an update when you can. My thoughts are with you.
Can you attach drop pins from Google Maps to where she was last seen and such?
Left Kumano Backpackers at Hongu Taisha a negative review and received a death threat from the owner, on google reviews, no joke. I stayed there on the 14th.
I know this will sound random and crazy and hopefully unrelated, but that owner is actually an insane person and it’s been going on for years. Talked to other nearby guesthouses about it and they all know. Just in case your friend stayed there.
edit: I should note, the owners barely interact with the guests and the house itself is fine, so it’s an odd situation. There are some weird review responses here (like mine) still though, and more on the cafe they run called Cafe Hongu. Please leave a review if you get a chance.
I hiked the last part of it into Koyasan on 11 April and did not come across anyone that would fit Pattie’s description
I’ve shared in some fb groups, instagram If you have someone in the family make a tiktok it can help! Those things will go viral and have everyone helping
Have you posted on the Facebook group, Tokyo Expat Network? It says “Tokyo” but people post about anything Japan-related there.
It’s a pretty large group so it’ll get more attention I think.
Also, post on Twitter with appropriate hashtags. Japanese use Twitter a lot, so you can get some Japanese eyes on the situation too.
Good luck, I hope she’s found soon