A Chicago woman who had been missing for nearly two weeks while traveling abroad in Japan has been found safe, her family said.
“We are happy to share that we have obtained the location of our beloved daughter, sister and cousin Kandace Schipper,” the missing woman’s sister, Nicole Willea, wrote on Facebook Wednesday night.
“We are grateful for every email, call and share and are now focused on getting her home safely,” Willea said.
Schipper, 29, had been traveling in Tokyo since May 8 and had been in contact with his family “every day” before he suddenly stopped texting on June 4, his sister said. His last known location was reported to be in the Shibuya city area of Tokyo on June 5, Willea said.
Kandace Schipper.Family poster
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 United States and Japan joined the effort to search for Schipper as days passed with no word from the 29-year-old Schipper.
“After going through this process, we are overwhelmed by the kindness of so many strangers. From Chicago to Tokyo, we received so much support and desire to help us find our loved one and have empathy for anyone seeking membership of the family missing,” 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. He also did not share what condition Schipper was in. Willea did not immediately respond to a request for comment overnight.
