MISSING WOMAN FOUND ALIVE IN MEXICO MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER DISAPPEARING

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A missing Ukrainian woman who vanished during a cross-country road trip has been found alive in Mexico more than a year after her car and camper trailer were discovered abandoned in rural Southern California.

Ganna Kovrizhynkh, 39, was reported missing in July 2025 after she stopped communicating with family and friends. Investigators with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office recently established contact with her and verified her identity.

HER VEHICLE WAS FOUND ABANDONED

Kovrizhynkh had been traveling across the country from Florida toward California when she disappeared.

Her friends and relatives said they last heard from her on July 5, 2025, while she was traveling through San Diego County.

Soon afterward, her Jeep Grand Cherokee and camper trailer were discovered abandoned near Potrero, a rural community close to the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Kovrizhynkh had sent her mother a photograph of a letter along with GPS coordinates in Potrero before disappearing. The letter reportedly contained instructions concerning her personal belongings.

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVED SHE HAD CROSSED INTO MEXICO

The discovery of her abandoned vehicle initially raised serious concerns about what had happened to her.

Investigators eventually began considering the possibility that Kovrizhynkh had voluntarily crossed the border into Mexico.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said detectives conducted an extensive investigation and exhausted numerous leads before determining that she had likely entered Mexico voluntarily.

Authorities had previously believed she may have crossed near the Tecate area of Baja California.

CONTACT FINALLY ESTABLISHED

The breakthrough came on Aug. 7, 2026, when investigators successfully established contact with Kovrizhynkh.

Authorities subsequently verified that the woman they reached was indeed the missing 39-year-old.

Investigators now believe she is staying in Sinaloa, Mexico, and said they have notified the Ukrainian Embassy of her whereabouts.

There is no indication in the latest report that Kovrizhynkh was found injured or that she had been the victim of a crime.

A MYSTERY THAT LASTED MORE THAN A YEAR

The case had attracted attention because of the unusual circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

Her vehicle and trailer were left behind, while her family had no idea where she had gone.

Friends and relatives had spent months searching for answers, while investigators followed possible leads across the region.

Now, more than a year later, the most important question has finally been answered:

Ganna Kovrizhynkh is alive.

The circumstances surrounding her decision to leave her vehicle behind and cross into Mexico have not been fully detailed publicly.

For her loved ones, however, the news that she has been located safely marks an extraordinary end to a search that began more than a year ago.

After more than a year of uncertainty, a missing woman who vanished during a cross-country journey has finally been located alive in Mexico — bringing long-awaited relief to the family and friends who never stopped looking for her.