A woman’s body has been discovered off the coast of Mexico during the search for an Arizona couple who disappeared while kayaking on Thanksgiving.
Flagstaff residents Corey Allen and his wife, Yeon-Su Kim, were out on the water at Rocky Point with their daughter around 1 p.m. Thursday when strong gusts of wind kicked in, according to a GoFundMe page to help find the couple.
Allen took his daughter to the coast and went back to find his wife, according to fundraiser organizer Lisa Aumack, who said both people had disappeared.
On Sunday, Mexican naval officials announced that the body of a woman matching Yeon-Su’s description was located near the Mayan Palace hotel, the Arizona Republic reported.
“After an intensive search by air, sea and land, the Secretary of the Navy reports to Sonora Civil Protection the discovery of a body at Playa Encanto, with characteristics similar to one of the two missing persons,” Sonora Civil said. Protection in a tweet Sunday.
Authorities did not immediately confirm the woman’s identity.
Puerto Peñasco Mayor Jorge Pivac Carrillo told local authorities to step up the search until Allen is found.
“We appreciate the support of the volunteers who have stepped forward to help, in addition to private companies and groups of U.S. residents who have provided support to continue the search efforts,” Puerto Peñasco civil defense and firefighters said in a statement. .
The couple’s minor daughter was handed over to relatives who had traveled to the place, according to the newspaper.
“Corey and Yeon-Su are valuable members of the Flagstaff community,” longtime friend Shelly Thomas told Fox 10.
The body of a woman matching Yeon-Su’s description was found on Sunday.
Family and friends hoped that the man and woman would be found.
“They are wonderful friends and wonderful parents of two exceptional children. We pray that they are found alive and can be returned to their children who love and depend on them,” she added.
Allen is a real estate agent and Kim is a professor at Northern Arizona University, who said in a statement Sunday that the school and the local community “hope and pray” that the two are found alive.
“Yeon-Su is a respected member of our NAU faculty and is known for the warmth she shares with everyone she works with and her passion for our forestry mission,” the university said.
