Zion missing woman case makes no sense

Ben Fwrote:

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 concussion is usually something you can walk out from, poorly but able to do it.

Beyond that, we get swelling of the brain that needs to be released. Burr holes or craniotomy with skull flaps to be put back later. Serious time in the ICU. A team of people to keep you alive. Not something you can heal from by laying under a tree not eating or drinking for a week and a half.

Whisk3rzz 1wrote:

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, 

or it turned out she was shacked up with someone the SAR crew knew? It's small town Utah after all. 

sandrockwrote:

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?

Bad precedent. Any life-saving operation scam or not must be free. Life-saving services are not where you want your lawsuits taking place or denied access due to poverty. If you want your dog rescued, that’s one thing, but in the case of a real emergency No one should be coming to you with a check book and billable if the real alternative is death. 

Tanner Montanawrote:

Bad precedent. Any life-saving operation scam or not must be free. Life-saving services are not where you want your lawsuits taking place or denied access due to poverty. If you want your dog rescued, that’s one thing, but in the case of a real emergency No one should be coming to you with a check book and billable if the real alternative is death. 

But this was a SCAM. She was not in need of rescue

Tanner Montanawrote:

Bad precedent. Any life-saving operation scam or not must be free. Life-saving services are not where you want your lawsuits taking place or denied access due to poverty. If you want your dog rescued, that’s one thing, but in the case of a real emergency No one should be coming to you with a check book and billable if the real alternative is death. 

You just described modern healthcare.

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/6055999002

Here's the first article ive read that seems to do a better job at explaining the situation. 

Its a some what strange situation but much less so when you understand, she didnt want to be found (at least when she left for zion). Also take into account a history of mental health problems and nothings is too out of place. 

As for how she survived without water: my thought which is purely conjecture. 

She could have had one of those gimmicky lifestraws to drink from the river but it floated away while she was trying to drink (maybe day 5 or so?). Then when she wanted to be found, she couldn't yell for help. And we still dont know if she wanted to be found when she was. 

The simplest explanation is usually the correct one; mental health and didnt want to be found.

This one stunk from the initial report. Sometimes you read one of these and you go - no. That's not how it went down.

My theory:

The lady disappeared from her family for a while. When she finally checked in she discovered she'd been reported missing. Hoping to avoid the shame of a false disappearance she decided to, well, disappear again. She hung out there a morning, or even a day, then made sure to be found. End of mystery.

She had to sleep somewhere and eat, so you’d think if they were able to see she paid at the gate, they’d also see either a pile of cash withdrawn or a bunch of other charges after the gate.  Now that I know a hammock was involved, I’m actually leaning toward believing she knocked herself out.

Cherokee: She used her credit card for her parks pass the day the arrived (aligns with her story).  Also, the bus has footage of her getting off at the trailhead she was found at the day she claims. 

Bill: Theres no pile of cash, (that we know of). And no, she didnt have to eat; She wanted to fast. Head injury plus mental health plus not thinking straight due to fasting. It all seems to add up to a story with missing parts but no larger conspiracy theory. 

Sinropa:

She could have bought the life straw before she went to zion so the family didnt know she owned one. And like i said, it floated away in the river and she couldnt get it back so it wasn't present when she's found. And instead of it floating away on day 5, maybe day 10? The whole story hasn't been put together yet so missing a small detail about a water purifier isnt insane. 

Yes the purifier is a stretch but so are a lot of things in this story. The purifier makes the story at least possible. Any other predictions seem more complicated than adding one peice of equipment to her at the beginning of the story. 

Hang tight, kids. From the article:

Zion National Park is currently finishing up an investigative report on Courtier's case and officials say they plan to release it to the public as soon as it is complete.                                                                                                

Details of the case, including how much taxpayer money the search cost, how many staff and volunteers searched for her, her discovery and other conclusions will be included in the report.

Donny the trumputin makes no sense either.  

Edit: just found out he's a con man trying to make money off anything possible, so that's probably what this is all about. Getting money from gullible people. I hope he's prosecuted.

I don't think the water question is the most interesting one. It gets COLD in that canyon at night, even in summer. I'm guessing temps up there were down in the 40s at night. Hardly the north pole but 11-12 nights outside while fasting and no sleeping bag or shelter? Seems deadly.

Andrew Ricewrote:

I don't think the water question is the most interesting one. It gets COLD in that canyon at night, even in summer. I'm guessing temps up there were down in the 40s at night. Hardly the north pole but 11-12 nights outside while fasting and no sleeping bag or shelter? Seems deadly.

From the USA Today article linked above: 

She only had a hat, jacket, tank top, hiking boots, backpack, sweatshirt, blanket and hammock with her.

It's simple. The woman told a huge fib and nothing happened as she described. Mystery solved. The tipoff was the concussion bullshit. Lance Hering and his buddy Scott told the same lie to convince searchers he was really missing in Eldorado Canyon in 2009. There was even a person that made the same claim to support their story of being unable to ride out of Cheyenne Canyon more recently and overnighting it. All of this was an attempt to make their stories more believable. 

SinRopa wrote:

Maybe I'm too skeptical, but I think adding equipment to the story to make it work is more of a stretch than thinking she's lying about the circumstances/timeline.  I think we're in agreement on the mental health part thought.

Yeah, actually you're kinda right on that adding stuff is less likely than lying.  My thought though is what is she lying about? 

Her being there for fewer days than days she claims in HIGHLY unlikely. She'd have to hike out and not take the bus. Then not be seen for the 12 days (someone on here claimed she was scene around town but it's uncorroborated). Then get back into zion with out being seen or noticed by the pay gate where there was literally a photo of her on the window. Not get on the bus and go along the trail again. 

My next thought is: Maybe she just drank the water and doesn't want to admit it because she knows she wasnt supposed to and is saving face.

Gargling the water but not drinking it? Sounds unlikely when you're that dehydrated. 

There's no need to analyze or dissect the story this woman presented once you realize it's bullshit. 

Marc801 Cwrote:

From the USA Today article linked above: 

Ah, well, that answers my question.

Also good to know that if I bring a hammock to Zion I can just bootleg camp anywhere I want for 12 days, undisturbed. 

Has anyone seen the national park report yet? 

David Bwrote:

Has anyone seen the national park report yet? 

No, and I'm not sure where to find it

The search for her cost $60k.

https://kutv.com/amp/news/local/zion-national-park-search-for-woman-cost-60k-report-says