Holly Courtier, Who Went Missing In Zion National Park For 2 Weeks, Found Alive

A hiker that was missing for just under two weeks was found alive in Zion National Park on Sunday.

Holly Courtier, a 38-year-old mother and experienced hiker, was dropped off at the park by a private shuttle on October 6. When the bus returned later that afternoon to pick her up, she did not meet it at the parking lot. A few days later, searches for Courtier began.

According to her daughter, Kailey Chambers, Courtier had just lost her job and was using her newfound free time to travel the national parks. Chambers and Courtier normally spoke every day, so when Chambers went a week without hearing from Courtier, she knew something was wrong and traveled to Zion to look for her.

Jillian Courtier-Oliver, Courtier’s sister, said that she was worried her sister was dead.

“They had a lot of cadaver dogs out and I knew what they were looking for was a body, not a person,” Courtier-Oliver said. “It was the first time I actually started losing hope. And I went with up with so much help knowing that we needed to find her.”

When Courtier was found, she had apparently lost weight and was covered with bruises, but was welcomed home by her family, who are now helping her to recover.

“We would like thank the rangers and search teams who relentlessly looked for her day and night and never gave up hope. We are also so grateful to the countless volunteers who were generous with their time, resources and support,” the Chambers-Courtier family said in a statement. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the network of people who came together.”