Woodland Hills Woman Injured Head, Went Without Food While Zion National Park Rangers Searched Nearly 2 Weeks For Her
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A Woodland Hills woman who was lost for nearly two weeks in Zion National Park is recovering after injuring her head on a tree and being stranded without food until she was found, her daughter said in a statement Monday.
Holly Courtier, 38, was found Sunday after going missing on Oct. 6. She had been caught on surveillance video taking a shuttle bus into Utah's Zion National Park.
Courtier's daughter, Kailey Chambers, said she has seen her mother, who is weak, but working on hydrating, recovering and getting her strength back. Chambers said her mother's recovery is now her top priority.
"Early in her trip into Zion, she injured her head on a tree. She was very disoriented as a result and thankfully ended up near a water source – a river bed," Chambers said in a statement. "She thought her best chance of survival was to stay next to a water source."
Zion National Park's rangers had been actively searching for Courtier, issuing several missing posters and describing the clothes she wore and the gear she carried in great detail.
"She was too weak and disoriented to actively seek out help. She was without food the entire time in Zion," Chambers said. "She was unable to take more than a step or two without collapsing. This prevented her from being able to seek out help. She told me she was so dehydrated she couldn't open her mouth."
Courtier had been described as an experienced hiker who was familiar with Zion National Park. Chambers said that her mother had recently lost her job due to COVID-19 and had been traveling the country, visiting national parks.
