The family of a Chicago woman who vanished while travelling in Japan says that she has been found safe.
Kandace Schipper, 29, arrived in Tokyo on 8 May and “abruptly” stopped communicating with family and friends 10 days ago.
She had been travelling with a male companion, Luis Torres, 27, whom they have also been unable to reach.
Her sister Nicole Willea said family have notified the US consulate and filed a missing person report in Chicago.
On 14 June, Ms Schipper’s family released a statement saying that she has been found safe and sound.
“We’re relieved to share that we’ve obtained our beloved daughter, sister and cousin Kandace Schipper’s location,” the family said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who helped us spread the word. We’re grateful for every email, call, and share and are now focused on bringing her home safely. After going through this process, we’re overwhelmed by the kindness of so many strangers. From Chicago to Tokyo, we were met with so much support and eagerness to help us find our loved one and have empathy for anyone seeking missing family members. It’s a complicated process trying to find information and it wouldn’t have been possible for us without the generosity of so many.”
Before she had been located, Ms Willea wrote on Facebook that the family was “experiencing one of the worst fears possible”.
Brother-in-law Adam Willea told Chicago’s WGN9 that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police was refusing to investigate the disappearance as a missing person case because she hadn’t yet missed her flight home.
Ms Schipper, a stylist and makeup artist, grew up in Chicago and recently moved to California, according to a Linkedin profile.
