1 of 2 | The three missing Kim family members are depicted in a missing persons flyer created by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. Image by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office
March 20 (UPI) — Three family members have been missing since March 13 and might have been involved in a deadly multi-vehicle collision on westbound I-40 during a winter storm.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says Jiyeon Lee, 23, Taehee Kim, 69, and Junghee Kim, 64, were last known to be traveling west to Las Vegas on the interstate after leaving the Grand Canyon area.
They were traveling in a rented white 2024 BMW bearing California license plate 9KHN768, according to the Coconino Sheriff’s Office, CBS News reported.
A flyer created by the sheriff’s office says the rental vehicle’s GPS last showed it traveling west at 3:27 p.m. MST, which is the same time that a deadly multi-vehicle accident occurred on westbound I-40, ABC News reported.
A tractor-trailer jackknifed on the freeway and caught fire while completely blocking the interstate’s westbound lanes near mile marker 159.5 near Williams, Ariz., according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Multiple vehicles, including more tractor-trailers, collided with other vehicles after their drivers did not slow down or properly brake.
“Multiple passenger vehicles were rear-ended, pushing the into and in some cases underneath crashed tractor-trailers,” the Public Safety Department said.
The interstate was covered in snow and ice when the accident occurred, and the fire from the tractor-trailer spread to several other vehicles and burned for 20 hours.
A total of 22 vehicles, including 13 passenger vehicles, were involved in the accident and carried a total of 36 passengers.
Two died in the accident, and 16 were injured and transported for medical care.
Police don’t know if the Kim family was involved in that accident, and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who might have made contact with the Kim family or has knowledge of their whereabouts after March 13 to contact them.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office can be reached by calling 928-774-4523 or 800-338-7888. A “silent witness” number is listed as 928-774-6111.