Missing Kensington woman found unharmed

UPDATE: Thursday – 9/5/2013, 12:46 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON – The Montgomery County Police Department tells WTOP Hannah Upp was located in the Wheaton area Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. She is unharmed and is now with her family.

Detectives have met with Upp and further investigation will occur sometime Thursday. There’s no further information right now, police say.

EARLIER: Wednesday – 9/4/2013, 7:00 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON – Police in Montgomery County are seeking the public’s help finding a missing Kensington, Md., woman, who went missing for several weeks in 2008.

Hannah Emily Upp, 28, of the 3000 block of Upton Drive, was last seen around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday near Kemp Mill Road and Glenallan Avenue in the Wheaton-Glenmont area.

Upp is white, stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, according to Montgomery County police.

Both police and family are concerned about her mental well-being.

“Hannah is a remarkable and wonderful person and all of her family and friends pray for her safe return,” Upp’s mother Barbara Bellus said in a message released through the police.

Upp was supposed to have lunch with Bellus Monday but cancelled. Some of Upp’s belongings were found on a footpath near Wheaton Plaza and she didn’t show up to work at the Crossway Montessori school Tuesday.

Police say Upp probably doesn’t have identification with her, and note that she previously needed medical attention after she disappeared and was found in 2008.

Upp was gone for roughly three weeks before she was pulled from the New York Harbor, according to The New York Times.

Local investigators have reached out to New York police to learn about that disappearance, says Captain James Daly spokesman for Montgomery County police.

“We can’t jump to the conclusion that this is a repeat or a reoccurrence of the 2008 incident. We have been in touch with detectives in New York. They’ve been able to provide us with some information and some guidance, which is helping us with our investigation here,” Daly says.

The New York times also reported that Upp was told she has a rare form of amnesia called dissociative fugue, a condition which the Times says also afflicts the fictional character Jason Bourne, who was played by Matt Damon on film.

Some expressed skepticism at the 2008 Times report and Upp’s explanation for her disappearance.

In a letter to parents from Crossway Montessori School, where Upp worked, CEO Kathleen Guinan wrote:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

One of the Primary Assistants, Ms. Hannah Upp, did not report for work on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. The Montgomery County police were informed that she was missing, however the police do not suspect any foul play. We appreciate your kind support and offers of assistance: however, we are working closely with Montgomery County police as they try to locate Ms. Upp. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers as we allow the Montgomery County Police Department to do their job and locate her.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Guinan CEO

Anyone with information about Upp’s whereabouts can contact Montgomery County police at 240-773-5530 or 301-279-8000.

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