A statement released Monday by Zion National Park regarding the recovery of a woman who was missing in the park for nearly two weeks shed little light on how she got lost and survived.
Holly Suzanne Courtier, 38, of Los Angeles, California, was found Sunday after a tip was received by rangers from a visitor who had spotted the woman. On October 6 the woman had gotten off a park shuttle at the Grotto trailhead a half-mile from Zion Lodge and vanished.
On Monday evening the park issued a press release saying Courtier had been found "in a thickly vegetated area along the Virgin River."
"She was able to leave of her own capability with minimal assistance," the statement added.
The statement did not specify where along the river Courtier was found. The Virgin River closely parallels the roughly 7-mile-long Zion Canyon Scenic Drive throughout the canyon and is within sight of the road.
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Comments
this whole story does seem very fishy especially when things are getting added on like the bump on the head national news has covered all of this such as Good morning America CNN and news channels maybe there should be a little more questioning about what really went on good grief all the people that put in hours and hours of searching and then just to pack it up and leave as if nothing happened with no explanation will the family be paying any of the costs for this search if there is more to the story an apology would be nice also
I was prepared to be sympathetic but alas it looks more and more like we may have all been had. Found a half mile from the parking lot?
The gofund me has stopped taking donations at least.
https://www.abc4.com/news/southern-utah/sheriffs-sgt-raises-questions-in...
First, I do not know Holly or her family. I am merely speaking my mind, and I have every right to do so. If anyone is offended, sorry, but that is the way the cookie crumbles. I feel in my heart and soul that Holly did get lost and become disoriented by striking her head on a tree. I presume Holly was indeed a true fighter, and she did not give up and that contributed to the factor as well. Holly had God’s strength behind her the whole way. Secondly, all mighty God can perform miracles, like letting Holly walk out without medical attention, and not to mention keeping Holly living without the intake of food and water for all those days. Lastly, I think people love to stir the pot when a missing person is found alive instead of dead. It would be different remarks had Holly died. Instead people fuel from one another creating total chaos. Then to top it off the Sgt. is questioning her, which is utter nonsense. If he has SOLID proof that Holly is guilty, then that is a different ballgame all together, but if he too is feeding off the frenzy then shame…shame on him. If I am wrong about Holly, then so be it…. but I still have my right to my own opinion. In the end - God will deal with Holly accordingly… surely not man!
Pammy ---
Again, the religiously pre-occupied, as your note presents, call upon their concept of 'God' to explain all the open ends of a situation where the facts have not yet presented themselves. For example, your conjecture that: "all mighty God can perform miracles, like letting Holly walk out without medical attention, and not to mention keeping Holly living without the intake of food and water for all those days." I am not theologically trained, but rather am a retired medical professional, which leads to other answers.
Well, carolinapammy, now that you, yourself, have decided, without invitation, to charge in here and insert religion into the discussion, it seems proper to examine some of the recent evidence on where this issue might be going. Yes, I know you claim you "do not know Holly or her family." However, I have to wonder whether you know or suspect something about Holly or her family and whether what you know or even suspect might be coloring either your assessment of the situation or how you respond to others' assessments?
The reason I am wondering about this is that many of us who have significant experience with the State of Utah and how it handles law enforcement or even just standard administrative matters know that it often seems that religion can play a part in how Utah manages things. Those of us who have experience in or with the State of Utah know people of various religions can perceive differences in how justice is dispensed to them. And, there are concrete examples of these differences, examples ranging from traffic stops to how the State of Utah couldn't and still can't seem to address issues involving FLDS, the Bundy family's activities, and other concerns. For example, the State of Utah infamously couldn't seem to successfully prosecute Warren Jeffs and had to leave it to the State of Texas to do the job properly. Even at Zion, it seemed that the Marshall Miller case resulted in a lighter and more convenient penalty than many of us would have expected.
Now, in the NPT article entitled "Utah Authorities Looking Into Hiker Who Claimed She Got Lost In Zion" and dated October 30, 2020, it's reported that officers with the Washington County Sheriff's Office believed the "circumstances of Courtier’s recovery ...were not consistent with our training and experience" and "raised some questions as to the authenticity of the events as reported to law enforcement." The Washington County Sheriff’s Office went on to declare that they "fully support the findings of the National Park Service investigation and believe their investigation into the incident was thorough and well executed." However, the sheriff's office also noted that, despite "the thorough investigation conducted by the National Park Service, Utah State Code does not grant them the authority to investigate violations of Utah law." Commenter CJDillon, adjunct faculty at San Diego State University and a retired NPS ranger and superintendent, was as dismayed by this situation as I am and questioned whether and why the NPS does not have the authority to enforce violations under the Assimilative Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. SS 13.
Look, carolinapammy, I don't want to argue whether "God can perform miracles" nor do I want stand in the way of God dealing "with Holly accordingly." But, Holly and her family still consumed a lot of time, effort, and resources from the NPS, exposed rescue participants to risk, and raked in a lot of public donations. Frankly, after my experiences with the scam at Yellowstone Forever, I take note of all that and, therefore, I want the Holly Courtier episode investigated fully; I don't want either the State of Utah or the cult stepping in to block that investigation; and, based on the outcome of such a thorough and complete investigation, I want proper restitution made to the extent it's warranted. If this lady actually has genuine mental health issues, then allowances can be made, as long as proper controls are put into place to ensure it doesn't happen ever again.
Humph and CJ not sure why you are so confused over the NPS not enforcing Utah law. Feds enforce federal law, states enforce state law, towns enforce town law.