Yahoo Movies Woman, 29, Who Went Missing During Trip to Japan Has Been Found Safe: 'We're Relieved,' Family Says
Kandace Schipper, 29, was reported missing after she suddenly stopped contacting her family while on a solo trip to Tokyo
A Chicago woman has been located after she was reported missing in Japan by family members.
Kandace Schipper, 29, was reported missing after she suddenly stopped contacting her family while on a trip to Tokyo, according to FOX affiliate WFLD and NBC News.
Schipper began her solo trip on May 4, but became “unreachable” on June 4, according to a Facebook post shared by her sister, Nicole Willea.
Willea later updated the post to confirm that her sister had been found.
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“We’re relieved to share that we’ve obtained our beloved daughter, sister and cousin Kandace Schipper’s location,” the woman’s family said in a statement, per CBS affiliate WBBM-TV.
The family is “now focused on bringing her home safely."
Loved ones said they communicated with Schipper almost daily via text and social media at the beginning of her trip, according to WBBM-TV.
Martha Vanderlugt, a family friend, told WFLD that “the communication stopped” between Schipper and her loved ones on June 4, and that “a mutual friend” was the last known person to communicate with her.
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Schipper’s sister, Chelse Rambo, said she last heard from her youngest sibling when their family wished Schipper a happy birthday, according to WBBM-TV.
"We got a message back that was just saying, 'I love you guys. Thanks so much,' and that's actually the last personal message that I received," Rambo revealed.
Schipper’s last known location was the Shibuya City area, on June 5, according to Willea’s Facebook post. The last transaction on her credit card, dated June 5, was from a restaurant in Shibuya City, WFLD and WBBM-TV reported.
Kendra Ensing, Schipper’s friend, filed a missing person report with the Chicago Police Department a short time later, per WBBM-TV.
"Everything seemed fine. She said she was having a great time,” Vanderlugt told WFLD. “We didn't have any reason to believe something was wrong.”
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Schipper is currently scheduled to fly back to the United States on June 29, according to WFLD.
In the meantime, Schipper’s family thanked those who stepped up to help locate the missing Chicago woman over the last two weeks.
“It's a complicated process trying to find information and it wouldn't have been possible for us without the generosity of so many,” the family said.
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