Zion missing woman case makes no sense

Anyone else read the various stories floating around and come to this conclusion? It seemed weird from the start but I've kept my mouth shut until today a sherriff said the same thing and that there was something fishy going on. Like, they found her after someone gave them a tip? So someone saw a near immobilized woman in an accessible area and didn't approach and help them? Also, she hit her head on a tree so hard that she lost conciousness and was confused but not so bad that they had to take her to the hospital? Also, the river she supposedly drank out of for 12 days should have left her in extremely bad shape from a toxic algae bloom the sherriff mentioned yet she's fine. Not to mention she claims to not be able to walk yet was filmed doing so. The whole story just doesn't add up. Please read the news reports before commenting

Edit: just found out they started a gofund me that raised about 15k so far, so that's probably what this is all about. Getting money from gullible, kind hearted people. I hope they're prosecuted

I didn't read as far into it as you, but even the basic premise confused me. Maybe I am naive, but as far as national parks go I think Zion would be really hard to get lost in. 

Dakota from North Dakotawrote:

I didn't read as far into it as you, but even the basic premise confused me. Maybe I am naive, but as far as national parks go I think Zion would be really had to get lost in. 

Yeah, and she supposedly spent all 12 days right next to the river. You know, the one that is right next to the most popular path in the park

I read she did NOT drink from the river because she was concerned about the toxicity and was hospitalized with severe dehydration. That’s what the mainstream article said at least. What have you been reading that says otherwise?

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/us/rescued-hiker-holly-courtier-sister-interview/index.html

If you’re thirsty, you’re going to drink water if it’s there. Her not drinking it didn’t add up to me.

Anna Brownwrote:

I read she did NOT drink from the river because she was concerned about the toxicity and was hospitalized with severe dehydration. That’s what the mainstream article said at least. What have you been reading that says otherwise?

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/us/rescued-hiker-holly-courtier-sister-interview/index.html

If you’re thirsty, you’re going to drink water if it’s there. Her not drinking it didn’t add up to me.

I read that the story had changed several times. I could dig through earlier articles and find when but I'm lazy. The reddit thread on this is saying she changed her story as well, to she "drank water she brought" which doesn't make sense as that would be an obscene amount of water to carry in her pack weight wise, if it's even possible.

She might have been in one of the many canyons accessed from the valley floor,

and not at the Virgin River on the valley floor.

Years ago I hiked with my family at Hidden Canyon, a bit north of the Grotto trailhead.

The thing that puzzles me is why the search teams didn't find her.

The weirdest part when I was reading about it was that she was severely dehydrated..next to a river. But I guess someone mentioned there is a toxic algae bloom?

She was probably somewhere else. Maybe hiking, maybe not. Seems convenient that she was found trailside basically as soon as her story went national.

Possible mental health problem, possible gofundme scam. I guess we'll see.

Maybe she took too much acid.

Seems cases like this are attention seeking - maybe from daughter or ex.  Maybe she left in an argument.  Agree 12 days out requires a level of skill she obviously didn’t have - very few have - then to be able to walk out with no need for medical - no way.

Edit - I dunno about the gofundme - 12k is probably about the actual cost of getting family out there and hotels for several days - they were only asking for 15k - hardly worth it.  Doesn’t seem like the story to me.

For sure a GoFundMe Scam. Stopped donations at 12K.

I was defending her from the start but it is starting to look pretty weird. Interested to see what comes of this.

I'm starting to think she was hanging out in the area planning suicide, and when she heard herself on national news, decided not to.

I hope she gets the help she needs.

They should charge her $12k for the time and efforts wasted by the sherriff and SAR (even though SAR is free). This sounds like such a scam, I'd be pissed if I donated to the gofundme.  How was she dehydrated and delirious for 12 days but is then able to walk out with minimal help when she was found?

It seems to me that between $12K and "Wanted: place to park my van" there is only a difference in degree, not in kind. In short, this family may have just shown all the single white "dirtbags" how to subsidize their #vanlife.

The desert has always been a magnet for nut jobs. Look at John Otto at the turn of the twentieth century. And a century ago when Utah had its first Jewish Governor (Simon Bamburger) he once pounded his desk and declared "I will build no roads to rocks!".

(Now Zion gets far more visitors than Lagoon, the amusement park Bamburger built.

Hell, nearly a half century ago some kid from New England showed up in Zion with the crazy idea of soloing  virgin walls.

So if some middle aged white woman wants to pull a whacko "help me I've fallen and I can't get up." then give her a hand (but not a handout).

I don't dispute this story is fishy but if she really had a serious head injury it could help explain some very irrational behavior.

A few simple facts don't add up: She was missing for 12 nights. Temps in the Virgin River Canyon during those nights were down in the 30s. She had no sleeping bag or anything like that, obviously. So how do you sleep outside for a dozen nights in the 30s without succumbing to hypothermia? Also, and this is most obvious, she was "found" right near where the bridge of the Emerald Pools trail crosses the river. That's probably the single most trafficked foot path in Zion. How would nobody hear a woman crying out for help right there? Or physically stumble upon her?

I think it's a mental health issue and she was somewhere else getting up to something else. I don't know why SAR won't just come right out and say that, though. 

Ron Owrote:

The desert has always been a magnet for nut jobs. Look at John Otto at the turn of the twentieth century. And a century ago when Utah had its first Jewish Governor (Simon Bamburger) he once pounded his desk and declared "I will build no roads to rocks!".

(Now Zion gets far more visitors than Lagoon, the amusement park Bamburger built.

Hell, nearly a half century ago some kid from New England showed up in Zion with the crazy idea of soloing  virgin walls.

So if some middle aged white woman wants to pull a whacko "help me I've fallen and I can't get up." then give her a hand (but not a handout).

Seriously man, my buddy was out backpacking in Utah a couple weeks back and he told a helicopter touched down and SAR asked them if they had run into a man who was walking around missing claiming he was Jesus. They were like wtf.. 

Andrew Ricewrote:

A few simple facts don't add up: She was missing for 12 nights. Temps in the Virgin River Canyon during those nights were down in the 30s. She had no sleeping bag or anything like that, obviously. So how do you sleep outside for a dozen nights in the 30s without succumbing to hypothermia? Also, and this is most obvious, she was "found" right near where the bridge of the Emerald Pools trail crosses the river. That's probably the single most trafficked foot path in Zion. How would nobody hear a woman crying out for help right there? Or physically stumble upon her?

I think it's a mental health issue and she was somewhere else getting up to something else. I don't know why SAR won't just come right out and say that, though. 

for real. those searchers had to know immediately that something was up when they found her just vibing next to the trail in perfect health. Maybe a legal issue is keeping them from speaking out, 

Strong also addressed a statement by the National Park Service saying Courtier was able to "leave of her own capability with minimal assistance" after being found.

"It's just so blown blown out of proportion," Strong said. "When you think you're going to die and you see a ranger, she said she literally got like giddy inside because she knew she was going to see her daughter and her family, so you definitely have some adrenaline working for you at that point."

At one point, Courtier saw another person but was so dehydrated that she couldn't open her mouth to yell for help, her sister said.

okay... even if she couldn't open her mouth to yell by the end, which is still bs, she surely could have in the many days leading up to it? Half a mile from the huge trail of people? And for a woman too disoriented to get up and search for help, these are awfully straight day-counting lines. Perfect spacing. Almost like someine just drew them for a photo