Three members of a South Korean family have been missing for more than a week after they were last seen driving through a winter storm in Arizona on March 13, according to state authorities. Jiyeon Lee, 33, Taehee Kim, 59, and Junghee Kim, 54, were traveling in a rental car between the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas when they disappeared, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The family was last known to be traveling westbound on Interstate 40, with GPS data indicating their location around 3:27 p.m. that day. This timing coincided with a fatal pileup accident on the same stretch of highway during the severe winter storm. The crash, which occurred near milepost 159.5 in Williams, Arizona, involved multiple vehicles and was further exacerbated by snow and ice on the road.
The pileup involved 22 vehicles and 36 drivers and occupants, resulting in at least two fatalities and injuries to 16 people, who were transported for medical care. Some of the vehicles involved were engulfed in flames, with some fires burning for more than 20 hours at extreme temperatures, as reported by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).
While authorities have not confirmed whether the missing family’s rental car was involved in the crash, they are continuing to investigate the accident and the possibility of human remains being discovered among the wreckage. “It is not known if this (rental) vehicle was involved in the accident,” the sheriff’s office said in its statement.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles is working alongside the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office to locate the family. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the family’s whereabouts since March 13 to contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
The search for Jiyeon Lee, Taehee Kim, and Junghee Kim continues, as officials work to piece together information surrounding their disappearance and the tragic events of that day.
