Mexico cops find one body in search for missing Arizona parents

A body was found on a Mexico beach after a couple from Arizona went missing while kayaking on Thanksgiving. Corey Allen and Yeon-Su Kim (pictured), parents of two teenagers, were kayaking on a beach near Rocky Point, Mexico — also known as Puerto Peñasco — with their daughter on Thursday when strong winds and currents led to their disappearance around 1pm.

Allen had taken their 14-year-old daughter Lux back to shore when the weather shifted before going back to help his wife, according to a GoFundMe. But the parents never made it back to shore — leading to an extensive search with the help of volunteers and rescue agencies by 6pm. Authorities said on Sunday that they found a body on the beach that resembled one of the missing parents but didn’t mention which one, according to El Imparcial news. An air search was conducted the day the body was found through the help of the more than $54,000 raised on the fundraising account, according to organizer Lisa Aumack.

The vacation destination filled with sandy beaches is about 300 miles south of Arizona’s border. Allen and Yeon-Su Kim are well-known in Flagstaff, Arizona where supporters have donated funds to help find the couple. Yeon-Su Kim is a professor of forestry at the Northern Arizona University, and Allen is a real-estate agent. The couple have two kids Lux, who is a freshman at Northland Prep Academy in Flagstaff, and Pax, who is a college freshman in Oregon. GoFundMe organizer Aumack has posted daily updates on the search efforts and announced on Saturday that the couple were more than two days ‘overdue.’

 ‘Corey and Yeon-Su are now 54 hours overdue,’ Aumack wrote. ‘Volunteers have spent the last two days flying, boating, and searching overland, with no sightings as of yet. The Mexican Navy is contributing resources via air and water, which is very helpful. We intend to continue the search [on Sunday], focusing as much resources as possible on flights across a search area south of Puerto Peñasco. The Gofundme donations which have been so generously donated so far will be used to support more pilots getting up in the air, and to support others who have been supporting the search or may be able to, with additional resources.’ No updates have been posted as of Sunday afternoon.

The NAU professor has received an outpour of support from her students and colleagues online. ‘Yeon-Su is one of my PI’s at NAU…I am heartbroken to hear this and am hopeful they will be found safe,’ April Sutter wrote on the GoFundMe page. ‘My thoughts go out to the family and friends of the family.’ ‘Student pilot in Phoenix here who wishes I could volunteer to join the search, but donating since I can’t,’ Neil Singh wrote. ‘Praying for a positive outcome.’ ‘Yeon-Su Kim has been one of the sweetest people I’ve met,’ Elisa Whitby wrote. ‘She’s such a caring person, always checks in on us students, wants the best for everyone, and makes some days better when needed.’ Others recalled memories with the couple. 

‘When I lived in Flagstaff from 2007 to 2010, Yeon-su and Corey became so good friends,’ Junhie oh wrote. ‘They selflessly and kindly helped me and my daughter settle and feel comfortable in Flagstaff. I now live in east coast. We kept in touch and exchanged holiday cards. My thought and love for Yeon-su, Corey, Pax and Lux.’ ‘Hoping for the safe return of Cory and Yeon-su, for restoration to their beautiful family, and to friends and colleagues, and into the society to which they have given so much and in which they are so loved and cherished,’ another person wrote. ‘God speed.’ It’s unclear where the couple’s children remain, but the unused money in the GoFundMe account will go toward their educational and other miscellaneous needs.

‘If and when the search ends and no expenses are being incurred, funds will be put into an account set up to help with the educational and other needs of Corey and Yeon-Su’s children,’ Aumack wrote on the fundraising page. The GoFundMe organizer described herself as being Lux’s ‘Flagstaff Grandma’ — who taught her how to swim — since her ‘real’ grandparents lived outside of Arizona and the country. ‘I taught her to sew and helped her to enter sewing and baking projects in the county fair,’ Aumack wrote. ‘She has spent fun overnights at my house. She and my granddaughter are very close friends. Anyone who wants more credentials can message me.’ As of Sunday afternoon, $56,650 out of $100,000 had been raised. 

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