A Legal Adult

<p class=ql-align-justify>My 19-year-old niece Aly disappeared. Car keys cell phone and laptop were abandoned at the airport. Law enforcement couldn't differentiate a legitimate trip from a nefarious abduction because she was . . . a legal adult.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify>On December 10 my presumably happy niece left the country with a person she'd met online but had never met in person. Multiple airline tickets to multiple destinations were purchased in her name. Airport security cameras outbound and inbound showed a third traveler.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify>Multiple sources confirmed that Aly arrived in Canada which narrowed our search to 3.8 million square miles with multiple points of entry.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify>We learned that laws designed to protect young people will enable traffickers with almost unfettered permission to travel below the radar with 18- to 20-year-olds. Aly's young adult status created a barrier separating her from her parents while deepening her relationship with a potential trafficker.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify>Maneuvering the legal systems of two countries became as much a challenge as finding one 19-year-old in the entire country of Canada.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify>A representative from one trafficking organization estimated that Aly might fetch $100000. She looked much younger than 19 and customers of human traffickers are willing to pay more for a youthful appearance.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p><p class=ql-align-justify>Aly left a scar on her mother's heart that will never leave.</p><p></p><p><strong>(About the Author)</strong></p><p></p><p class=ql-align-justify>This is Donna Stone's second book. I'm reciting my interpretation of events in the hope that the parents of 18- to 21-year-olds will be aware. I am forever changed by the experience. I had no idea that traffickers invested in groomers on college (and high school) campuses for recruiting. The return on investment is so lucrative that traffickers pay groomers/other kids for years to slowly reel in a good catch.</p><p class=ql-align-justify></p>