The whereabouts of three South Korean women traveling in the United States have not been determined for 10 days.
According to the Los Angeles (LA) Consulate General and local police on the 22nd (local time), a 33-year-old named Lee, his mother, a 59-year-old named Kim, and his 54-year-old brother, also named Kim, lost contact on the 13th while traveling from the Grand Canyon area to Las Vegas.
They were initially scheduled to return to South Korea on the 17th. However, as they could not be reached, their family in South Korea requested assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an investigation began when the LA consulate general requested local police to assist with the inquiry.
Coconino County security authorities in Arizona tracked the GPS of the rented BMW vehicle used by the group, determining that they passed on Highway 40 heading west from the Grand Canyon toward Las Vegas at around 3:27 p.m. on the day they went missing.
At that time, a winter storm accompanied by snow caused a chain-reaction accident involving 22 vehicles, resulting in two deaths and 16 injuries on that highway. The last signal from the group was reportedly detected about 1 mile (approximately 1.6 km) away from the accident site.
Local police noted, "The missing persons may be related to this accident," but added, "It has not been confirmed whether the missing family's vehicle is linked to the accident, and at this time, there are no circumstances to suspect any criminal involvement."
Security authorities are awaiting tips from anyone who has contacted the missing persons or knows their whereabouts.