A body has been found in the area where a California woman went missing in Costa Rica.
Ashley Phillips, 30, vanished after she went on a hiking trail while a devastating storm struck.
The body has not been confirmed to be Phillips. A video showed harnessed rescuers taking a body out of a river in the country.
Her family is devastated but takes some solace in knowing her potential body will come home. Costa Rican authorities previously told them that it was likely she disappeared in a “water-related accident.”
She has been missing for more than two weeks, as search efforts, which were initially underway, were once paused due to the torrid conditions before they resumed.
A GoFundMe set up on June 9 said: “For the past seven days, the Jonkey and Phillips family have been living through every parent’s and sibling’s worst nightmare.
“Their beloved daughter and sister, Ashley Phillips, has been missing in Costa Rica after severe weather caused flooding and mudslides during a hike.”
The fundraiser has a goal of $20,000 and has raised more than $18,000 as of Thursday.
In another update posted on June 12, the family marked 10 days since her disappearance, noting search efforts had become difficult because of the weather.
It continued: “Today marks 10 days since Ashley went on a hike and did not return. Due to ongoing severe weather conditions in Costa Rica, the search efforts have been temporarily paused.”
It added: “However, the search is expected to resume once conditions improve and the drier season begins.”
Jeffrey Phillips, her father, said Ashley was staying in an “isolated area” where emergency services would be limited. Ashley Phillips appeared happy, and last spoke to her father about a little baby pineapple that was growing on a pineapple bush.
The woman was aiming for a restorative stay at HOME Farm (which stands for “Heaven On Mother Earth”) in Costa Rica’s Diamanté Valley, a regenerative sanctuary nestled in the heart of the rainforest resting on 55 acres of lush tropical jungle and sitting atop the Nauyaca waterfalls.