<p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">&nbsp;</span></p><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">&nbsp;</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">&nbsp;</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">&nbsp;</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">&nbsp;</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">&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-justify">A representative from one trafficking organization estimated that Aly might fetch $100,000. 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">&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-justify">Aly left a scar on her mother's heart that will never leave.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>(About the Author)</strong></p><p><br></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><br></p>