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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumsgood news she is found, sad news it took 9 years.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/connie-mccallister-found-mexico_n_4232063.html?A Wisconsin woman who went missing more than nine years ago has been found living in Mexico with her three children.
Connie McCallister, 26, was found after a church missionary in Mexico reported seeing her to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children three months ago, according to the Wausau Daily Herald.
We have confirmed, through conversations on Skype, that this is really Connie, and she did ask for help in getting home, Wausau Police Capt. Greg Hagenbucher told the newspaper. But she wont come back without her children.
snip
McCallister, who vanished in August 2004 at age 16, said she was drugged and taken to Mexico against her will by her then-boyfriend, her aunt Florence Volzka told the Associated Press.
Judy Weise, a family friend, told the Journal Sentinel that McCallister had started dating the 22-year-old man -- who is now wanted on sexual assault charges against a different alleged victim -- when she was an honor-roll student at Athens High School.
"He told her everything that she needed to hear, and she got involved with him," Weise said. "They went to a party in Milwaukee and she called her sister and said, 'He won't bring me back,' and that's the last anyone heard from her, until Sept. 15."
snip
In Mexico, McCallister managed to escape her abductor years ago, but without knowledge of the Spanish language, she was unable to contact her family in the U.S., according to the International Business Times. To survive, she worked as a field hand, which is where she met her husband.
snip
"We're just so excited because this story will be a happy one," Weise said. "Not many families can have this happy ending."
I am glad she has been found and will be coming home.
the part about unable to contact her family, not sure
about that part.
I also hope they catch the sh*tbird that did this and he get to go
to a Mexican prison for a while, and then an American prison
or vise-a-versa, doesn't matter.
mercuryblues
(14,491 posts)words of Elizabeth Smart shed some light on why McCallister may not have returned.
I think it goes even beyond fear, for so many children, especially in sex trafficking. Its feelings of self-worth. Its feeling like, Who would ever want me now? Im worthless.
That is what it was for me the first time I was raped. I was raised in a very religious household, one that taught that sex was something special that only happened between a husband and a wife who loved each other. And thats how Id been raised, thats what Id always been determined to follow: that when I got married, then and only then would I engage in sex.
After that first rape, I felt crushed. Who could want me now? I felt so dirty and so filthy. I understand so easily all too well why someone wouldnt run because of that alone.
littlewolf
(3,813 posts)thank you. Home was always sanctuary
no matter what happened, home was safe.
of course I am male, that probably has
something to do with it also.
I am glad she is found safe
I am glad she is coming home with her family
to meet her family
Christmas is gonna be special this time
new grandma and all
thank you for a different view, and I am so sorry
that some @#@!$% did what he did to you.
2naSalit
(86,046 posts)with her family, unfortunately.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)Besides, the only reason she was in Mexico is because she was kidnapped. The US won't have any problem calling them citizens.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I think she willingly went -- 16, gullible, maybe in the 'rebellious' phase, maybe her BF spun some yarn about all the cool things in Mexico and how they can go down and be back in a few days, etc...And once they got there the shit hit the fan from 10 different directions and she was stuck with no way out...
There is a bit of truth in regional stereotypes, and I've seen first-hand the lengths teens growing up in remote small-town Midwest will go to experience something that isn't small-town Midwest...
Lancero
(2,979 posts)Why is it, that every time we hear about a girl being kidnapped or raped, some people immediately try to justify the crime by saying "Well, she wanted to!" or "Well, she did such and such so she deserved this!"
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I just have a hard time believing "I was drugged in Milwaukee and 24+ hours of driving time later I woke up in Mexico..." Or maybe she meant she was given shit so strong that she didn't know or care where in the world she was until she came down from the high (at least that makes a little more sense)...
Why is it so hard to believe the guy gave her a bunch of fairytales which she didn't realize were completely fake until it was much, much too late??
Lancero
(2,979 posts)Is just a nicer way of saying "Yeah, this person is completely full of shit and is lying"
Say what you want - But you did try to justify this by implying that 1) She was lying and 2) That she was in the 'Rebelious' phrase and went willingly.
Misogynists frequently use the "Well, she was willing!" comment to try to defend any crimes committed against women.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Mr./Ms. "I just joined DU four months ago"
Search my posting history the past 5-6 years and try to find me ever trying to justify a rape...Go ahead; I'll wait...
Just because I pointed out ONE part of a story that doesn't make sense absent of more details doesn't mean I'm discounting her whole ordeal...Like everyone else here, I'm anxious to know the whole story and especially if the 'boyfriend' was part of some larger trafficking ring...
Lancero
(2,979 posts)But your ignoring the part about where she got married. Her husband is mexican, born in Mexico, so it would be hard to bring him over as well.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I'm guessing any immigration issues will be fast-tracked and rubber-stamped
2naSalit
(86,046 posts)I suspect that fast-tracking and all that, due to the high profile thing is probably true. Assimilation might be a bigger issue for them if they decide to live in the states.
mercuryblues
(14,491 posts)the DR phil interview with one of the Ohio kidnap victims.
The 1st thing that was done was tie her up and dangle her from a wall "I felt like a fish" . Abusers will use fear, shame, and isolation to achieve their crime. Just because she managed to break the physical chains, doesn't mean she managed to break the metaphorical chains.
brer cat
(24,401 posts)I appreciate that you made this post. It is going to be hard for some people to accept that she couldn't contact her family, and maybe your words will lead to some understanding.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]
brer cat
(24,401 posts)Thanks for the clarification.
madaboutharry
(40,149 posts)but this seems strange: "but without knowledge of the Spanish language, she was unable to contact her family in the U.S., according to the International Business Times." There are people in Mexico who speak English. I think she didn't want to come back at the time.
randome
(34,845 posts)You're right, we don't have the full story yet.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)and didn't learn any Spanish? Sounds odd to me. But whatever exactly went on, it's good that she's been found and is coming home.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)And people in the government work hard at reunification as well as NGOs.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I'd be determined to find some way out on my own, since I put myself in that position in the first place and I'd be too scared/embarrassed to call my parents...
And you know what would have happened next? I'd have ended up making the predicament a THOUSAND times worse...
TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)"but without knowledge of the Spanish language, she was unable to contact her family in the U.S"
Not because she was held against her will but because the phones in Mexico only work in Spanish.
I guess we'll find out what happened. I'm happy for the girl and relieved for her family; that they will finally have some answers and closure to a 9 year nightmare.
TYY
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)for a road trip from Wisconsin to Mexico??
Why hasn't the "boyfriend" been named? I'm pretty sure he was probably part of a bigger operation and other girls like McCallister are stuck suffering a similar fate or worse...
Clearly at some point she fully assimilated into Mexican society -- Did she ever contact the U.S. Embassy??
cali
(114,904 posts)In Mexico, McCallister managed to escape her abductor years ago, but without knowledge of the Spanish language, she was unable to contact her family in the U.S.,
I'm glad she's been located, but c'mon. Mexico is not the wilds of outer Mongolia.
Nay
(12,051 posts)mercuryblues
(14,491 posts)She was 16 when she was kidnapped. How many here would know to go to an embassy for help at that age, once you had escaped? Who would she even have known to trust?
the man who kidnapped her is also wanted for a sexual assault in another case.
Her problems getting back to the states include, her identity had to be confirmed. her kids are not vaccinated. She has no paper work even saying she is a US citizen, let alone a document saying she even entered Mexico. Her kids have no paper work. To get all this stuff is time consuming and expensive. She has no money. Her family and church are raising the funds to get this done. She will not leave her husband and 3 children behind.
She is also in bad health.
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20131105/WDH01/311050284/?nclick_check=1
Judy Weise, who works at Trinity and is spearheading the fundraising effort, said the family is reluctant to divulge the details of McCallisters disappearance and her whereabouts during the past nine years until McCallister is safely back in the country.
We dont want to do anything to jeopardize Connies safety, and we believe we could be putting her in danger if we say more, Weise said. We just want to get her home.
Officials with the U.S. Consulate are working with McCallister to gather the required documents and identification records necessary for McCallister to return home, said Wausau Police Detective Kay Hansen, who has worked on the case since detectives in Wausau received word McCallister is alive.
cali
(114,904 posts)to try and find someone who speaks English or to borrow a phone or go into a restaurant or store or hospital.
And OK, say she didn't know enough at 16; how about at 18? 19? 21?
Did she see a doctor or other health professional during those 9 years? Did she bring her kids to a doctor? Did she tell her husband about having been abducted?
I don't think we know the full story.
Obviously it's not her fault that she was abducted, but the abduction doesn't explain her silence over nearly a decade.
Oh, and why was she allowed to date a 22 year old when she was 16?
kcr
(15,300 posts)and taken to a foreign country against their will either. Maybe we don't "know the full story", whatever that means, but I don't get the instant need to be all suspicious about it. That seems to happen whenever teenagers, particularly girls, are victims. Let's scrutinize their stories and catch them out in lies!
cali
(114,904 posts)she's a victim. It remains a fact that over the course of a decade she didn't contact anyone.
So I'm not getting the comments of "We don't know the whole story".
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)to indicate she is in poor health...Although it probably goes without saying that the hard labor, working the streets and the general day-to-day hustle (legal and illegal) just to survive have taken a harsh toll...
And if money is the issue, why not sell the exclusive rights to her story? I'm betting some offers are flowing in already...
mercuryblues
(14,491 posts)Sorry it came from a different article I had read.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/missing-wausau-teen-connie-mccallister-found-alive-9-years-later-b99136411z1-230822551.html
"It's very costly to get someone through all of this process," Weise said. "They need car seats, clothes and bunk beds. Connie is dealing with health issues she's only 98 pounds and needs medical care, and three children need immunizations, and there are ongoing needs."
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Yeah, they just need to sell the story rights and get an advance...Depending on how much of the story needs to be sanitized, this is just burning for the "Lifetime Network" treatment....
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)I knew how to do that since I was around 7 years old. I'm sure there is much more to this story and am very glad her family no longer has to wonder if she's even alive.