Where are Corey Allen and Yeon-Su-Kim? Arizona couple vanishes while kayaking in Mexico on Thanksgiving
PUERTO PENASCO, MEXICO: A body was discovered after two teenagers' parents went missing while kayaking on Thanksgiving. Corey Allen and Yeon-Su Kim were kayaking on a beach near Rocky Point, Mexico, also known as Puerto Peñasco before strong winds and currents led to their disappearance around 1.pm. They were seen enjoying their time with their daughter on Thursday, November 24, before the tragic incident.
According to GoFundMe, the couple's 14-year-old daughter, Lux was taken to the shore by Allen when the weather shifted before going back to help his wife. Authorities made an extensive search with the help of volunteers and rescue agencies around 6.pm as the parents never made it back to the shore. On Sunday, November 27, police claimed that they found a body on the beach which they believe is one of the missing parents but they did not disclose which one.
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According to the fund organizer Lisa Aumack, a thorough aerial search was conducted the day the body was found with the help of more than $54,000 raised on the fundraising account. The vacation destination where the ordeal took place is located about 300 miles south of Arizona's border.
Allen and Yeon-Su Kim are well-known in Flagstaff, Arizona. The former is a real state agent while the latter is a professor of forestry at Northern Arizona University. The couple has two children, Lux, a freshman at Northland Prep Academy in Flagstaff, and Pax, a college freshman in Oregon.
"Corey and Yeon-Su are now 54 hours overdue. Volunteers have spent the last two days flying, boating, and searching overland, with no sightings as of yet", Aumack wrote. "The Mexican Navy is contributing resources via air and water, which is very helpful. We intend to continue the search [on Sunday], focusing as many resources as possible on flights across a search area south of Puerto Peñasco." She continued, "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."
Aumack has not posed any updates as of Sunday. Yeon-Su Kim has received overwhelming 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 on the 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. "Godspeed."
The children's whereabouts have not been disclosed 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. She described herself as being Lux's 'Flagstaff Grandma' who taught her how to swim since her 'real' grandparents live 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."
$64,313 out of $100,000 had been raised as of Monday morning, November 28.