The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) issued an update on a missing person case associated with a major multi-vehicle pileup that took place near Williams earlier this month.

On March 24, AZDPS and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) provided an update on a pileup that occurred on I-40 near Williams, Arizona, on March 13, 2025.

Initial reports indicated that the pileup involved 22 vehicles, including 13 passenger vehicles, and caused two fatalities. Sixteen people were injured.

On March 18, CCSO put out a call for public help in locating a South Korean family of three that went missing on the day of the pileup on I-40 near Williams.  Vacationing family members Junghee Kim, 54, Taehee Kim, 59, and Jiyeon Lee, 33, were last seen in a rented 2024 BMW with California license plate 9KHN768.

AZDPS officials said that on March 23, investigators confirmed that one of the vehicles in the pileup was a BMW SUV.

AZDPS also confirmed that “more human remains” were located within the crash debris, but no identities have been released at this time.

“All agencies involved are actively working together to determine whether the remains are those of the South Korean nationals believed to have gone missing in the area at the time of the collision. The intensity and prolonged duration of the fire that ensued during the collision have posed significant challenges for identification efforts. Due to the extent of the damage, the process of identifying the remains requires meticulous examination. The Yavapai County Medical Examiner’s Office is diligently working to ascertain whether identification is possible,” AZDPS said.

The investigation is ongoing.