On New Year’s Day 2002, Mary’s then 13 year-old daughter, Alicia, disappeared from their suburban Pennsylvania home. Family and investigator’s suspicions that the teen may have been lured by someone she had met while chatting on the Internet proved true. Acting on a tip from the predator’s online acquaintance, authorities were able to track her to a townhouse in Virginia where they found her physically restrained. FBI agents arrested a 38 year-old computer
programmer who is currently serving his sentence of 19 years and 7 months.

Alicia, now 18, frequently speaks to youth groups about the dangers of meeting people on the internet- and to be the “voice of those children who no longer can speak for themselves.” Mary, as a member of Team HOPE, reaches out to support other parents whose children are endangered or missing. She continues to speak-out to parents, urging them to be vigilant in educating their children concerning internet safety and advocating software which both blocks the predator’s access to the child and monitors usage.

Their family is participating in two internet safety films, one for the FBI and the other for Pennsylvania schools; their story is the subject of an upcoming PBS special and a People Magazine article on internet crimes against children.