Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Woman Missing for 2 Weeks Found Safe in Zion National Park
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
October 20, 2020

Share

SPRINGDALE, Utah — A California woman who was missing for about two weeks in Zion National Park in Utah has been found and left the park with her family who had feared the worst, authorities said.

Holly Suzanne Courtier, 38, of Los Angeles, was found Sunday by search and rescue crews in a thickly vegetated area along the Virgin River after park rangers received a tip that she had been seen in the park, Zion National Park officials said in a news release Monday. They didn’t say anything about her condition or what had happened.

Courtier’s daughter, Kailey Chambers, told CNN that her mother hurt her head early in her hike and became disoriented.

“She injured her head on a tree,” Chambers said in a text exchange. “She was very disoriented as a result and thankfully ended up near a water source — a river bed. She thought her best chance of survival was to stay next to a water source.”

Chambers said Courtier was so weak she was unable to take more than a step or two without collapsing.

“This prevented her from being able to seek out help. She told me she was so dehydrated she couldn’t open her mouth,” Chambers said.

Courtier-Oliver Said She Had Started Losing Hope Her Sister Was Alive

Crews began searching for Courtier after she didn’t show up for her scheduled pickup in the park by a private shuttle on Oct. 6, authorities said. The park and nearby town of Springdale were filled with missing person signs featuring pictures of Courtier and the clothes she was wearing.

Her sister, Jillian Courtier-Oliver, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that her sister is recovering after being found with bruises all over her body and losing weight.

Courtier-Oliver said she had started losing hope her sister was alive in a park known for its towering red rock cliffs that has several hikes that take people along narrow trails with steep drops nearby.

“It wasn’t until two days ago I actually said, ‘I’m starting to lose hope,’ ” she said. “They had a lot of cadaver dogs out, and I knew what they were looking for was a body, not a person. It was the first time I actually started losing hope. And I went with up with so much help knowing that we needed to find her.”

The park released a statement attributed to the family.

“We would like to thank the rangers and search teams who relentlessly looked for her day and night and never gave up hope. We are also so grateful to the countless volunteers who were generous with their time, resources and support,” her family said in statement.

DON'T MISS

Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River

DON'T MISS

Is Inflation Finally Corralled? Powell Says Federal Reserve Believes It’s Close

DON'T MISS

New Village Green Park Opens in Loma Vista as Clovis Community Hub

DON'T MISS

Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player

DON'T MISS

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

DON'T MISS

Dealing Blow to Biden’s Reelection Bid, Teamsters Union May Withhold Endorsement

DON'T MISS

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change

DON'T MISS

Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project

DON'T MISS

Measure P Arts Grants Spark Debate and a Meeting Tonight

DON'T MISS

Tedford Exits Fresno State Football. Tim Skipper Is the Next Bulldog Up.

UP NEXT

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

UP NEXT

Trump Receives Enough Delegate Votes to Officially be Republicans’ Nominee

UP NEXT

What to Know About the Attempt on Trump’s Life and Its Aftermath

UP NEXT

GOP Convention Protests on Despite Shooting at Trump Rally

UP NEXT

US Journalist Masha Gessen Is Convicted in Absentia in Russia for Criticizing the Military

UP NEXT

What We Know About the Trump Rally Shooting Victims So Far

UP NEXT

Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Classified Documents Case Over Prosecutor Appointment Concerns

UP NEXT

In Primetime Address, Biden Says Country Must Not Go Down Road of Political Violence

UP NEXT

Secret Service Under Scrutiny After Assassination Attempt on Trump

UP NEXT

Former Fire Chief Who Died at Trump Rally Used His Body to Shield Family From Gunfire

Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player

7 hours ago

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

7 hours ago

Dealing Blow to Biden’s Reelection Bid, Teamsters Union May Withhold Endorsement

9 hours ago

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change

10 hours ago

Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project

11 hours ago

Measure P Arts Grants Spark Debate and a Meeting Tonight

11 hours ago

Tedford Exits Fresno State Football. Tim Skipper Is the Next Bulldog Up.

11 hours ago

Biden Orders Secret Service to Protect RFK Jr. After Attempt on Trump’s Life

11 hours ago

Trump Receives Enough Delegate Votes to Officially be Republicans’ Nominee

12 hours ago

Who is JD Vance? Things to Know About Donald Trump’s Pick for Vice President

12 hours ago

Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River

A Minnesota man who disappeared Friday while rescuing his two young children from the rain-swollen Mississippi River was found dead by autho...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River

6 hours ago

Is Inflation Finally Corralled? Powell Says Federal Reserve Believes It’s Close

7 hours ago

New Village Green Park Opens in Loma Vista as Clovis Community Hub

7 hours ago

Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player

7 hours ago

Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’

9 hours ago

Dealing Blow to Biden’s Reelection Bid, Teamsters Union May Withhold Endorsement

10 hours ago

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change

11 hours ago

Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend