California authorities have confirmed that missing Hollywood producer Eric Kohler has been found safe in Mexico, one day after The Huffington Post published exclusive photos that allegedly showed him posing with a dog and two women.
"He has been located in Mexico," a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman told HuffPost on Friday afternoon, adding that he is safe and his family has been notified.
The discovery comes one day after Carlos Ivan Baez Navarro contacted HuffPost and said he saw Kohler in La Paz, Mexico, on Wednesday night. Navarro recognized Kohler from a HuffPost story and snapped photos of him. He said in a message through Facebook that Kohler acknowledged his identity but said, "I do not want to be found."
HuffPost provided copies of the photos, as well as Navarro's contact information, to the LAPD on Thursday. The department then launched an investigation into the tip thereafter.
Kohler, a 27-year-old visual effects producer who has worked on several films, including "The Avengers," "San Andreas" and "X-Men," had been missing since Nov. 24.
According to his family, he was working at Vitality VFX in Gardena, California, when he left work that afternoon to run errands.
Shortly thereafter, Kohler's vehicle was captured on surveillance video at a nearby shopping center, but authorities have been unable to determine who was actually behind the wheel. The vehicle's destination remained a mystery until Friday.
“That’s basically all we knew was the photos," said LAPD Detective K. Thomas, when asked if the tip had helped to locate Kohler. "The family, they observed them and said, ‘Yes, that is him’ and there is some other information we have to say that he is in fact in Mexico, but the pictures definitely helped. He has been identified down there. I have spoken with individuals who have met him face-to-face and we have some additional information to substantiate that he is in Mexico.”
No further details are currently available on Kohler's safe recovery.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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