Shivangi Sinha
Alice Ku’s disappearance in Taiwan in November 2019 was an extremely difficult experience for her family. They only learned about it more than a week later and found out surprising details about her life along the way. They discovered that she had been married for several years, and each new revelation raised more questions. Facing numerous legal obstacles, her family struggled to seek justice but eventually filed a civil lawsuit against her husband, Harald Herchen. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Gorge’ highlights the emotional impact of her disappearance on the family and documents their determined pursuit of justice.
Alice Ku’s Family Had No Idea About Her Marriage Until She Disappeared
Weichiao Ku and Pi-Lien Ku began their family life in Taiwan, welcoming their eldest daughter, Josephine Ku, on November 13, 1972, followed by Diana, Grace, and Monika Ku. Their first son, George Ku, was born on September 29, 1981, and their youngest, Alice Ku, arrived in December 1982. The six siblings were very close, and the family eventually relocated to Los Gatos, California. After Alice completed college in 2006, the family chose to return to Taiwan, as Weichiao had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and required surgery. They felt it would be more comfortable and reassuring to be in a familiar environment during this challenging time.
Over time, all six siblings pursued their own paths in life. Eventually, Alice lost touch with most of her siblings, though she remained close to her eldest sister, Josephine. The two sisters frequently exchanged text messages, but Alice never mentioned her 2017 marriage to Harald Herchen. Their last conversation occurred on November 26, 2019 (November 27 in Taiwan), which seemed routine at the time. Concern arose in the first week of December 2019 when a parent of one of Alice’s tutoring students contacted the family, noting that she had missed several sessions. On December 9, 2019, George called the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety for a welfare check and Monica went with them. She told her family that Alice had not lived in her apartment for approximately six months.
On December 10, 2019, the family filed a missing person report for Alice. They hired a private investigator to manage her assets and oversee her conservatorship, and it was through this process that they discovered she had married Harald Herchen. After the investigator spoke with Harald, George contacted him directly for more details. Harald initially claimed that Alice had sent him a few emails and had used one of his credit cards, but prosecutors and the Ku family alleged he changed his story multiple times. His explanation that Alice had stayed behind in Taiwan to meet her parents was disputed by her family, who testified that neither Weichiao nor Pi-Lien had been informed of any such plans. As her conservator, George also noticed that Alice had not paid her credit card bills in December 2019, which was highly uncharacteristic of her.
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Alice Ku’s Family is Closely Following the Charges Against Harald Herchen Today
In January 2020, George Ku received an email from Harald Herchen in which he claimed he had spent substantial sums of money trying to locate Alice Ku but had been unsuccessful. He also stated that he had hired a lawyer and would no longer communicate directly with George. However, according to deposition transcripts filed in the lawsuit between 2021 and 2024, Harald admitted that he had not spent any money searching for his wife. Taiwanese authorities did issue an arrest warrant for Harald, but extradition was not possible. With limited options, Weichiao Ku and Pi-Lien Ku filed a civil wrongful-death lawsuit against him in 2021 in Santa Clara County, California, alleging his responsibility for Alice’s death in Taiwan.
After delays, the case was finally heard in July 2025, and the family won, being awarded $23.6 million in damages. Josephine and George testified about their bond with their “baby” sister and explained why they believed Harald should be held accountable. The family remains in Taiwan, but with the ongoing perjury charges, they may return to California to follow the case and continue their pursuit of justice for Alice. They have seen the greatest loss they could imagine and want to make sure that they honor her memory by getting her the justice she deserves.
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