ST. GEORGE — A woman who has been missing in Zion National Park since Oct. 6 has been found alive.
The National Park Service said that Holly Suzanne Courtier, 38, was found after rangers received a credible tip that a visitor had seen her in the park. The park service said Courtier has now been reunited with her family.
Her family released a statement after she was found:
We are overjoyed that she was found safely today. 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. This wouldn’t have been possible without the network of people who came together.
Amanda Rowland, Chief Interoperation Officer for Zion National Park, was not able to provide any information on Courtier’s condition but said that she and her family have left the park.
“At this point in time, we’re just really happy that we found her in the park,” Rowland said. “It was really critical the tip line that we set up. We received a credible tip from the tip line and park rangers were able to find her within Zion National Park.”
In a statement from the park service, officials expressed gratitude to those involved in the search efforts, including the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, K-9 units from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Search Dogs Search and Rescue Teams, Grand Canyon National Park Emergency Service Team, and Bryce Canyon National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area park rangers.
Courtier, of Woodland Hills, California, was last seen in the Grotto parking area Oct. 6 within the park when a private shuttle dropped her there around 1:30 p.m. She was scheduled to be picked up by 4:40 p.m. on a shuttle bus in the same area yet wasn’t there when the shuttle arrived.
Kailey Chambers, Courtier’s daughter, told CNN Saturday that she and her mother were visiting Zion a month ago as part of her 19th birthday. Chambers said her mother stayed behind to continue a solo trip after she returned to her home in San Diego.
On a GoFundMe page set up by Courtier’s sister Jamie Strong, a plea was made to help with any of Courtier’s medical needs after being on her own for more than 10 days, as she does not have medical insurance.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone’s continued support and prayers! Details on her rescue are limited right now, and we will update you when we have all the information,” Strong said on the page. “Holly will need medical care in the days moving forward. She has no medical insurance to cover the costs and your donations will help.”
Updated Oct. 18, 2020, 4:25 p.m.: Additional details.
St. George News reporter Aspen Stoddard contributed to this story.
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