‘I have a lot of questions’: A friend is in disbelief over the safe return of San Mateo woman after being held captive in Mexico for 8 months

Monica De Leon Barba, a San Mateo County woman who the FBI said was kidnapped in Mexico in November, has been reunited with her family.

De Leon Barba was released by her captors last week, roughly eight months since she was kidnapped while walking home from work with her dog, the FBI said over the weekend.

Her friend Anissa Livas said she was in shock when she first heard the good news of De Leon Barba’s return. The two first met in college and have stayed friends since.

“I got a message from her brother and was in disbelief,” Livas told CNN. “I’m super happy and joyous but I have a lot of questions.”

In its statement regarding De Leon Barba’s return, the FBI said an investigation remains ongoing into the identities of her captors and no arrests have been made. The agency did not share further details about De Leon Barba’s release.

Livas said she has only briefly talked with De Leon Barba since her release. In that short exchange, she reminded her friend she loved her.

“We exchanged ‘I love you’s’ in a short message over social media,” Livas said. “She has been slowly reaching out to her friends but she needs some space and time so we’re going to be patient.”

The last time the two saw each other was when De Leon Barba visited Livas in southern California, a few weeks before moving to Mexico to help a family member with their business. “She is a very talented photographer and a family member needed her skill sets,” Livas said.

Livas described her friend as “charismatic” and someone who can “make friends with anyone.”

A Facebook page that was created to help find De Leon Barba was updated Saturday with news of her return.

“For the first time in a very long time we have good news!” the post read. “We can all finally close this chapter in our lives and work on the long road of healing we have ahead.”

In its initial news release about the kidnapping, the FBI said De Leon Barba was captured in in Tepatitlán, in Mexico’s western state of Jalisco. The FBI has said she was confronted by several suspects who forced her into a vehicle and then drove away.

Her dog was seen in video loose in the street but was later found safe by a family member, the FBI said.

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