A South Korean family of three, including Jiyeon Lee, 33, her mother Taehee Kim, 59, and aunt Junghee Kim, 54, have mysteriously vanished while on a trip to the Grand Canyon. They were last seen heading from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas earlier this month, the New York Post reported.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, GPS data from their rented white BMW showed they were last on Interstate 40 in Williams, Arizona, about 35 minutes west of Flagstaff. The family’s disappearance has been reported to the authorities, and a search is currently underway.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office issued a missing person alert for the South Korean family and released a poster on Facebook on March 21. The poster includes their photos, and details about the missing individuals and urges anyone with information to come forward and assist in the investigation.
Here is the Facebook post:
On the same day, a snowstorm on the highway led to a 22-car crash, resulting in two deaths and 16 injuries. The incident has raised suspicions that the crash might be connected to the disappearance of three South Korean women.
“A major accident occurred on the highway around the same time their phone’s location signals were picked up, so the missing people might be connected to it,” a local police officer said.
While police haven’t confirmed their involvement, Coconino Sheriff’s spokesman Jon Paxton stated that it’s a possibility being investigated, as per ABC News.
After losing contact with the trio, who were supposed to return to South Korea on March 17, their family members contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assistance. An official from the Republic of Korea Consulate General in Los Angeles said, “We supplied all relevant information to local authorities and sent staff to the area to assist with the swift search for the missing family.”
The sheriff’s office conducted a thorough search of the area, service roads, and hospitals over three days but has now exhausted all leads.