The last known whereabouts of the missing California woman who vanished during a yoga retreat in Costa Rica have been revealed.
Ashley Phillips was in the Central American country as part of a three-month trip where she practiced yoga and 'got the full nature experience,' her distraught father, Jeffrey Phillips, told the Daily Mail.
Ashley, 30, was last seen on June 3 after she headed out to start her day, according to her father, who described his agony as the search for his beloved daughter nears two weeks.
He said she woke up every day, ate breakfast, and then walked about five minutes to a nearby waterfall to do yoga alone. A person also attending the retreat was the last to see her making her way to the waterfall that day, Jeffrey said.
He described where his daughter went missing as a 'very remote area with dangerous people' and 'very dangerous wildlife.'
The day before she went missing, Jeffrey said he spoke on the phone with Ashley, and that she seemed like her normal self.
'We talked about her morning and she sent me a picture of a little baby pineapple that was growing on a pineapple bush,' her heartbroken dad recalled.
'Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, she seemed happy and starting her morning,' Jeffrey said.
Jeffrey Phillips, the father of Ashley Phillips, said he and his family have been left in the dark about what happened to his missing daughter after she went out for a walk near a waterfall in Costa Rica on June 3
Ashley has been in Costa Rica for three months, where she practiced yoga and 'got the full nature experience,' Jeffrey told the Daily Mail
Jeffrey, who said his daughter has been to Costa Rica twice before, was told she is likely to have been involved in a water-related accident, the country's Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) told him on Monday.
He also shared a chilling video of a flash flood consuming a waterfall just a short distance from where his daughter was.
His family at home in Santa Clarita has received very little information about the investigation into Ashley's suspicious case.
Jeffrey's son and Ashley's brother, Justin Phillips, was sent 'conflicting' emails from authorities in Costa Rica at first.
According to Ashley's father, an initial email came through from Costa Rica's Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), stating that they were conducting a disappearance investigation in relation to Ashley.
But then another message came through stating that they were now looking at the case as a 'crime with physical evidence,' he shared. When Jeffrey inquired about what the alleged evidence was, he said his family never heard back.
Instead, they got another email that walked back the one before, and again stated that they were probing a disappearance, Jeffrey said.
Jeffrey said Ashley was staying at Home Farm Heaven on Mother Earth, which is described as 'a regenerative sanctuary and educational center located in the heart of Costa Rica’s Diamanté Valley'
The day before she went missing, Jeffrey said he spoke on the phone with Ashley, and that she seemed like her normal self
On Monday, Jeffrey asked about the alleged evidence, with police telling him they have none 'leading to a crime,' he told the Daily Mail.
Her father also revealed that it wasn't until June 4, the day after she was last seen, that alarms went off at the hostel about her missing. He wasn't notified she had vanished until June 6.
Jeffrey said Ashley was staying at Home Farm Heaven on Mother Earth, which is described as 'a regenerative sanctuary and educational center located in the heart of Costa Rica’s Diamanté Valley,' according to the company's website.
'It's a very isolated area like a farm. A very rural area,' he told the Daily Mail.
The retreat offers both short and long-term residency, the business's website details.
After someone noticed Ashley was missing from her bedroom, they phoned 911, but the Red Cross responded, not police, Jeffrey said.
'There are no services at all, 911 does not even go to an emergency or government agency you are on your own,' he said of the remote area.
He said that Ashley left her phone behind to charge, but when it was found, it was unlocked.
He is aware that the area is dealing with intense flash flooding, heavy rainfall and landslides.
A GoFundMe page that was launched shortly after Ashley was last heard from said that a search for her has been 'temporarily paused' due to the weather conditions.
According to a family friend, once weather conditions improve, the search for Phillips will continue, but the country is in the thick of its rainy season at the moment.
Jeffrey said his sole focus is getting real, concrete answers on what happened to his daughter and bringing her home safely.
Jeffrey also revealed that he's skeptical of reports that intense weather played a role in Ashley's disappearance
Ashley's sister Amanda and their mother are working currently working on a way to get out to Costa Rica themselves, but the weather has made it very challenging, their father said
He said he has tried to get in contact with the US embassy, but has not had success, and local authorities have only reached out a few times.
'Nobody's helping out at all, it's been devastating. Nobody is responding,' he stressed, adding that his son's wife, who speaks Spanish, has been helping to translate.
Jeffrey said a missing persons case has been opened by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, but he is not aware of US government officials working with foreign authorities.
Jeffrey has urged parents, especially those with adult children who enjoy traveling, to tell their kids of the dangers in areas like Costa Rica.
He said his other daughter, Ashley's sister Amanda, and their mother plan to travel to Costa Rica on Friday to meet with local authorities and visit the property Ashley was staying at if the weather holds up.
The Daily Mail contacted the US State Department, the OIJ, and Home Farm Costa Rica for comment.
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