Holly Suzanne Courtier/GoFundMe
The case of a California woman who was reported missing in Zion National Park earlier this month is being looked into by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Holly Suzanne Courtier, a 38-year-old Los Angeles woman, took a shuttle ride to a trailhead in Zion Canyon on October 6 and vanished. Her daughter had described Courtier as an experienced, fit hiker.
Nearly two weeks later, on October 18, the 5-foot-3, 100-pound woman was found after the park received a tip from another visitor who said they had seen her. Shortly after searchers found Courtier, she left the park with her family without seeking any medical treatment.
Park officials have not commented in detail about the search or circumstances under which the woman was found, saying that information would be contained in an official report of the search. As of Friday afternoon that report still had not been made public.
The fact that the woman was found roughly a half-mile from where she got off the shuttle bus, in an iconic landscape that sees thousands of visitors a day, has generated numerous questions from the public. Why couldn't she make her way to the scenic drive that winds through Zion Canyon, a narrow redrock chasm? How did she survive with little food and water?
Family members said Courtier had hit her head and became disoriented, and that she didn't drink from the Virgin River, which parallels the scenic drive, because she had heard the water had been contaminated by a toxic bacteria.
The view of Zion Canyon from Observation Point/NPS, Christopher Gezon
While the search was underway, Courtier's family launched a GoFundMe page to raise money "to help cover the costs of her search and possible after care when she is found." The campaign had a $15,000 goal, and on Friday it showed a total of $11,860 had been raised.
An update to that page on October 22 said that "Holly has suffered from mental health issues in the past and went on her hike not in the best frame of mind. She did not intend to become injured or so weak on her journey. Nor, did she intend for her trip to become a search and rescue effort. If Holly was not found when she was, she would have died."
The family added that "(T)his fundraiser is, and always was, 100 percent legitimate. However, we acknowledge and respect people’s concerns over the many inaccuracies portrayed by the press and social media regarding Holly’s ordeal. Whomever has concerns about our use of their donation is welcome to request a refund without any objection from the family."
The circumstances of Courtier's rescue prompted Sgt. Darrell Cashin of the Washington County Sheriff's Office to raise an eyebrow. He told a local reporter that the "circumstances of Courtier’s recovery ... were not consistent with our training and experience."
"These inconsistencies raised some questions as to the authenticity of the events as reported to law enforcement," said a press release from the sheriff's office. "In response to numerous media inquiries, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office stands behind the observations and statements made by Sgt. Cashin. However, we feel it is important to clarify that we stand by our initial release that we were only involved in a consultation role. We fully support the findings of the National Park Service investigation and believe their investigation into the incident was thorough and well executed."
Beyond that, though, the sheriff's office said "(N)umerous tips have been received indicating the incident was possibly conceived and carried out as part of a plan to fraudulently generate money to a GoFundMe account for Courtier’s recovery."
"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," the statement continued. "Based on our local authority and jurisdiction, the Sheriff’s Office had an obligation to the public to investigate the criminal allegations which were being presented. At this point in the investigation, there has been no evidence to support the theory that the incident was committed intentionally as an effort to achieve financial gain. However, we ask that any credible information submitted is based on tangible leads, and/or evidence which can be shared with investigators."
Tips regarding the case can be submitted to [email protected]
Comments
So, the NPS does not have the authority to enforace violation of Utah law under the Assimilative Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. SS 13?
A suspected fraud scam to defraud people using an internet website is called wire fraud and money laundering, found at 18 USC SS 1343 and 1956.
Something is amiss....
Yup, contrary to whatever disinformation the usual rightwing nincompoops might try to spread, if, if, if this case is ultimately found to involve the use of an internet site in a scam for monetary gain, then this woman and her family also crossed state lines from California over to federal property in Utah to perpetrate it, which certainly would seem to not just be wire fraud and money laundering but also interstate fraud involving the commission of crimes on federal property. If, if, if that is the case, then the State of Utah and its slimy apologists can go suck eggs because those are federal offenses and not only the NPS but the FBI have not only jurisdiction but a duty and obligation to investigate and enforce. Again, if, if, if this lady actually has genuine mental health issues, then allowances can and should be made, as long as proper restitution is made and proper controls put into place to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Yes Hump, if she violated Federal law, the Feds can and should prosecute. Pretty obvious.
The more I read this story the more the family is grasping for anything they can it is only obvious they are not telling the truth and don't try to put the blame on Sergeant Cashin. Thank goodness he's a smart man and sees through this whole issue everyone is talking about this crazy story Holly definitely needs to be prosecuted also did she have permits for those 12 days of being in Zion national Park not only that issue but camping there illegally I think her and her daughter was there scoping out a place for her to hide out and that GoFundMe account is ridiculous give the money to the Washington county sheriff's office for their search and rescue good grief look how much time people spent looking for her I think that daughter of hers know exactly where she was scammers
Totally agree please do more investigating some kind of prosecution needs to take place I wonder what kind of story they are going to come up with next
Utah has not extended concurrent jurisdiction to the National Park Service, which in legal terms is the "maritime and territorial" or "legislative" jurisdiction. Without that jurisdiction, NPS has no authority under the Assimilative Crimes Act. Utah specifically prohibits the NPS from having concurrent jurisdiction. So any crime that is not a violation of Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations, or a crime against the United States (e.g. Archeological Resources Protection Act or the Lacey Act) must be investigatedy the the State of Utah.
In Utah violations of federal law must be crimes against the United States or violations of the Code of Federal Regulations. If the crime is not either, it may not apply.