Daughter of Calif. Woman Who Disappeared During Hike at National Park in Utah Speaks Out
courtesy
The daughter of a California woman who disappeared while hiking at Zion National Park in Utah says she won't stop looking for her.
"I refuse to give up on her because I know she wouldn’t give up on me," Kailey Chambers tells PEOPLE. "If this was reversed I know she would give everything to save me. I’m willing to do the same."
Chambers, who is a full-time student with two jobs in San Diego, has dropped everything to help search for her mother, Holly Courtier, after Courtier went missing from the park on Oct. 6.
courtesy Holly Courtier (left) with Kailey Chambers (right)
According to the National Park Service, Courtier, 38, was last seen at 1:30 p.m. when she was dropped off by a shuttle bus at the Grotto parking area. She never made it onto the return shuttle later that day.
"One of the last people who saw her said she had the biggest smile on her face and was saying how excited she was to get on the trails," Chambers says. "The park has such a special place in her heart."
courtesy Holly Courtier
Chambers last spoke to her mother on Oct. 2 and hasn't heard from her since.
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Chambers and her mother had been to the park together two weeks earlier to celebrate her 19th birthday. They both fell in love with the serene surroundings, and the peace it offered from the outside world.
The park does not have good cell reception, Chambers says, and it's made tracking leads difficult. Thankfully she has the help of authorities.
courtesy Kailey Chambers (left) and Holly Courtier (right)
"It’s hard; it's not like walking the streets, and it's not an easy trail either, it’s tough terrain. I'm so beyond thankful for the rangers," she says. "I'm so blessed to have them out looking for her."
Courtier is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs about 100 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.
She could be wearing the following items: a Pistil Gray Trucker Hat, a Patagonia black Nano Puff Jacket, a dark tank top, Danner Trail gray hiking boots, and an Osprey blue multi-day pack.
The following items could possibly be with her: a cream open-front hoodie, a Rumple Nanoloft puffy blanket, and a camouflage double-size hammock.
Anyone with information should call the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009.
