The body of a woman was found offshore in Mexico during the search for an Arizona couple who vanished while kayaking on Thanksgiving.
Flagstaff residents Corey Allen and his wife, Yeon-Su Kim, were on the water near Rocky Point with their daughter at about 1 p.m. Thursday when strong gusts of wind picked up.
The fundraiser’s organizer, Lisa Aumack said, “Allen took his daughter to the shore and went back to look for his wife. Then both of them disappeared.”
On Sunday, Mexican navy officials announced that the body of a woman matching Yeon-Su’s description was located near the Mayan Palace hotel.
“After an intense search operation by air, sea and land, the Secretary of the Navy reports to Sonora Civil Protection, the discovery of a body on Playa Encanto, with characteristics similar to one of the two missing persons,” Sonora Civil Protection said in a tweet Sunday.
Puerto Peñasco Mayor Jorge Pivac Carrillo said, “I told authorities to ramp up the search until Allen is found. We appreciate the support of the volunteers who have come forward to help, in addition to private businesses and groups of US residents who have provided support to continue the search efforts.”
The couple’s daughter, who is a minor, has been handed over to relatives who traveled to the scene.
“Corey and Yeon-Su are valuable members of the Flagstaff community,” longtime friend Shelly Thomas said. “They are amazing friends and wonderful parents to two exceptional kids. We are praying that they are found alive and able to be brought back to their kids who love them and depend on them.”
Allen is a real estate agent and Kim is a professor at Northern Arizona University, which said in a statement Sunday that the school and local community were “hoping and praying” the two are found alive.
“Yeon-Su is a respected member of our NAU faculty and is well known for the warmth she shares with everyone she works with and her passion for our forestry mission,” the university said.
