On March 21, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert for missing people to South Korean families and shared the poster on Facebook. The poster features photos, details about the missing individual, and a plea for anyone with information to come forward and help with the investigation.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a highway snowstorm caused a crash in 22 cars, resulting in two deaths and 16 injuries. The incident raised suspicion that the accident could be linked to the disappearance of three Korean women.

“A major accident occurred on the highway around the same time that the cell phone location signal was picked up, so people who are missing may be connected to it,” a local police officer said.

Police have not confirmed the relationship, but Coconino Sheriff’s spokesman John Paxton told ABC News that it is a possible under investigation.

After losing contact with the trio, which is scheduled to return to South Korea on March 17th, their families sought support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An official from the Governor of the South Korean Consulate in Los Angeles said, “We provided all relevant information to the local government and sent staff to the area to assist in a quick search of missing families.”

The Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive three-day search for the area, service roads and hospitals, but now it has exhausted all its leads.