Something’s “Upp”

Hannah Upp and Her Student on St. Thomas

Hannah came back straight to her apartment after helping at the school. That very night, her roommates initiated a talk about leaving the island as soon as possible, which caused great discomfort to Hannah. She disapproved the idea of leaving, “I’m staying— that’s where my heart is. School is going to be the first step toward normality for these kids,” she cried out to Leslie Bunnell, one of the roommate. After things heated up, they called off the talk and went to bed. On September 14, 2017, which was the next morning, Hannah left a note that said “I’m going for the morning swim before heading to the school,” a friend of her also saw Hannah get inside her car around 8 a.m. The only problem, she never made it to school.

A Means Of Escape

Actually, Hannah’s friends didn’t think much about her morning swim or the note she had left, it was almost a daily thing for her and she would always make it to school after taking a dip. But when Hannah failed to arrive at the faculty meeting which was organized to fix the school, her companion Maggie Guzman grew worried and eventually called Hannah’s friends.

Where’s Hannah?

Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas

Hannah was quite passionate about what she did for a living, and she would never miss school without a prior notice. She had also left a note for her room mate that clearly mentioned attending the school after her swim. Furthermore, when Maggie Guzman called Hannah’s friends.They told her that Hannah hadn’t been answering their calls as well and they hadn’t seen her since Thursday morning. When things didn’t add up, they agreed to go look for her at the Sapphire beach which was Hannah’s favorite spot.

Sapphire Beach

missing woman Hannah Upp Sapphire Beach

It wasn’t hidden from anyone that Hannah loved swimming at the Sapphire beach in her pastime, and hence, everyone decided to first look for Hannah at her favorite place. There also happened to be a bar nearby, which was quite famous for its hamburgers and cocktails, so they checked in to inquire if anyone had seen Hannah there. While they were looking for Hannah in the bar, they found her belongings including her sandals, car keys and a sundress. They were apparently found by the construction workers only a day ago when they were cleaning the remains left behind by the storm. However, they would soon find a thing by the beach that would only complicate the mystery…

Traces Of Hannah

Missing Woman Hannah Upp

Hannah’s car was found two days later from the day she had gone missing. It was parked in a lot near to the Sapphire beach. To their surprise, Hannah’s belongings were present in her car like her purse, passport and cell phone. They tried not to think of the worst-case scenario yet as everyone knew Hannah was one heck of a swimmer. Furthermore, Hannah’s friends knew about a similar incident including Hannah and her experience with water, so they were confident that she didn’t drown, but the circumstances now were a lot different from then.

The Search

Hannah Upp Missing

When Hannah’s friends couldn’t find her anywhere, they alerted the authorities without wasting another minute. They immediately launched a search near the shoreline and on a nearby island named St. Thomas, thinking she might have swept with the stream. While Hannah’s friends kept searching for her at the mercy ships, the coast guards continued their search by flying over the island with the help of three helicopters. The chaos that came along with the storm had made the search more difficult, it was like searching “for one white gal in a sea of troubles and suffering.” said Hannah’s friends.