National park officials have revealed more information about the rescue of Holly Suzanne Courtier, who had been missing for nearly two weeks in Zion National Park before she was found on Sunday.
Authorities had previously revealed very little about the circumstances of Courtier’s rescue or her condition when she was found, but a representative from Zion National Park provided more specifics to Fox News on Monday night, hours after Courtier’s daughter said in an interview with CNN that her mother had hit her head on a tree while hiking and was too weak and disoriented to seek help. Courtier remained close to a water source after injuring herself, her daughter said.
“She was unable to take more than a step or two without collapsing. This prevented her from being able to seek out help,” Courtier’s daughter said in a text message exchange with CNN. “She told me she was so dehydrated she couldn’t open her mouth.”
Courtier, a California native and experienced hiker, arrived to Zion National Park on October 6, and had been last seen on a shuttle bus in a parking area. She did not appear for the return trip later that same day, and had left her cell phone behind. Her family reported her missing on October 8, launching a large-scale search.
Acting Chief of Interpretation Amanda Rowland indicated in a statement to Fox News that Courtier was in a good condition when she was found, appearing to contradict Courtier’s daughter’s account.
“She was able to leave of her own capability with minimal assistance,” Rowland told Fox News, adding that Courtier was found in a “thickly vegetated area along the Virgin River.”
A family friend told CNN that Courtier had spent Sunday night at a hospital in Utah. It is unclear where Courtier is staying now.
CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
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