Missing Chicago woman, Kandace Schipper traveling in Japan with boyfriend found as family release vague statement as questions are asked if traveler was arrested?
Authorities have released few details in their announcement that missing Chicago woman, Kandace Schipper, who had been traveling in Japan with her boyfriend was found.
‘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 in a Facebook post Wednesday night.
‘We’re grateful for every email, call, and share and are now focused on bringing her home safely,’ Willea added.
Schipper, 29, had been constant communication with her family since traveling abroad last month, only to stop returning calls and texts on June 4, causing her family to fear something untoward had happened to the woman. At the time, attempts to reach her boyfriend, Luis Torres, 27, also went unreturned.
Unanswered questions
Schipper’s last known location was reported on June 5 in the Shibuya City area in Tokyo.
Willea said her family had filed a missing persons report with the Chicago Police Department and had alerted the U.S. embassy in Tokyo.
People across the U.S. and Japan joined in the effort to search for Schipper as days went by without any word from the 29-year-old.
‘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 media overtures for comment explaining how or why Schipper came to cease all communications with her family.
Commentators on the thread, wondered out aloud if Schipper and her boyfriend may have been arrested (for unknown reasons) and in police custody, with one commentator writing, ‘The police has the right to hold her 3-7-10-21 days for “investigation” without letting her call anyone. Your embassy however has the right to inquire.’
