Costa Rican police tell family missing California woman likely died in water accident
Authorities informed the father of 30-year-old Ashley Phillips that she is believed to have disappeared during a hike to a waterfall on June 2. Severe weather including flash floods and mudslides has hampered search efforts in the area.
nypost.comCosta Rican police told the father of a missing California woman that she is believed to have disappeared in a water-related accident. The woman, identified as 30-year-old Ashley Phillips, was last seen on June 2 while hiking to a waterfall where she practiced daily yoga at a retreat in the Diamanté Valley.
Weather conditions Severe weather from Tropical Storm Cristina brought high winds, flooding, and several inches of rain to the region during the same period, causing dangerous mudslides and flash flooding that stalled search operations. Police previously gave conflicting information about the case, including an earlier suggestion that the disappearance might involve a crime with physical evidence, before walking back that statement.
Family response Jeffrey Phillips shared video of a flash flood near the waterfall and said his daughter was staying in an isolated area with limited emergency services access. The family last updated a GoFundMe page on June 12, noting that the fundraiser had raised just under $16,000 of its $20,000 goal to support search volunteers and memorial efforts.
Ashley Phillips last spoke to her father about a small pineapple growing on a bush at the retreat, which describes itself as a regenerative sanctuary on 55 acres of rainforest above the Nauyaca waterfalls.
