Maryland woman trapped in the Philippines is back in the U.S., Sen. Van Hollen says

A Maryland woman who was trapped in the Philippines is now back in the United States with her family, according to Senator Chris Van Hollen.

Friends of 24-year-old Chantal Anicoche said she was in the Philippines doing humanitarian work when she was taken into military custody.

A community event at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) raised awareness for Anicoche in January. Organizers said she was being held by the Filipino government.

In a statement, Van Hollen said he spoke to Anicoche and that he's grateful for the efforts made to support her return.   

The woman and her family are requesting privacy at this time.  

"I was devastated"

Anicoche's friends previously described her as the life of the party. They said she was very passionate, particularly about humanitarian issues in the Philippines.

They said she was in Mindoro, a rural island with a large indigenous population, when the Armed Forces of the Philippines dropped bombs and opened fire on New Year's Day.

Rika Ramos, a friend of Anicoche, previously said she was very worried for her. 

"When I first heard the news that she was missing, I was devastated. I was crying," Ramos said.

Anicoche seen in a hole in the Philippines

In a social media video posted by the country's military on Jan. 8, Anicoche was seen emerging from a hole. The Filipino government said she was there for eight days after the attack.

"The military was pressured, we believed into surfacing her, and they posted a video online that many human rights advocates, humanitarians, believe is possibly staged," said Gordon Mutch, a member of the Baltimore Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines at the time.

"I was actually glad that she was alive, but it was hard to see her in those conditions," said Frances Quijano, who is a friend of Anicoche.