After the family hired a private investigator, they were able to discover the identity of the man she has been with during her absence. His employer and landlord were contacted. On July 30, the family was contacted by the State Department and informed that Birmingham, Alabama, native Nicole Jackson had come in voluntarily with proof of identification. However, the family has not spoken to her. Her older sister, Ela Vaughn, told the outlet, “I’m more at peace. I’d still like to hear her voice. I’m happy to know our prayers have been answered. She’s safe and she’s okay.”

Vaughn does not know why her sister has not contacted their family in two years, “She’ll reach out to us when he’s ready. I feel a whole lot better. She will eventually reach out. I know she will.” Vaughn and her family originally believed Jackson went to Germany to pursue music and to attend school because it was free in the country. However, she eventually discovered her sister was dating a man she met online. The family periodically received birthday text messages from Jackson but they questioned the authenticity of the messages. Text messages wouldn’t go through when  they replied and they weren’t able to connect when they called. The last text message was in 2019. None of Jackson’s close friends had from her, according to Vaughn. It’s unknown why Nicole Denise Jackson stopped communicating with her friends and family.