A Chicago woman who had been missing for nearly two weeks while she was traveling abroad in Japan has been found safe, her family said.
“We’re relieved to share that we’ve obtained our beloved daughter, sister and cousin Kandace Schipper’s location,” the missing woman's sister, Nicole Willea, wrote Wednesday night on Facebook.
“We’re grateful for every email, call, and share and are now focused on bringing her home safely,” Willea said.
Schipper, 29, had been traveling in Tokyo since May 8, and had been communicating with her family "every day" before she suddenly stopped sending messages on June 4, her sister had said. Her last known location was reported to have been in the Shibuya City area in Tokyo on June 5, Willea had said.
Willea said her family had a missing persons report in Chicago and had alerted the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Chicago police and the U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
People across the U.S. and Japan joined in the effort to search for Schipper as days went by without any word from Schipper, 29.
“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,” Willea said. “It’s a complicated process trying to find information and it wouldn’t have been possible for us without the generosity of so many.”
Willea did not share where or how her sister was found. She also did not share what condition Schipper was in. Willea did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment.
