Possible kidnap-victim who texted for help has been found safe
by Evan Blass 
posted Mar 9th 2006 at 11:37AM
A New Jersey girl who was being reported as kidnapped, and who contacted her mother via text messages with pleas like
"helm 0m im scared I d0nt kn0w were I am," was found safe but in shock today in an NYC taxi.
Thirteen-year-old Natasha Browne of Jersey City went missing on Monday morning after telling friends that she had a
doctor's appointment that day, although her mother claims that was not the case. Instead, police are speculating that
Natasha met up with someone who had approached her on the Internet, although at this point it is unclear whether or not
she was held against her will. Still, the dozen or so frantic messages seem to point to a meetup-gone-wrong scenario,
with Natasha informing her mother that she was being held in a basement and forced to do "disgusting things."
CNN is reporting that she is currently with her mother in an NYC hospital; we will update this post when more
information becomes available.
Filed under: Messaging
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris @ Mar 9th 2006 12:02PM
I'm glad they found her but does anyone else feel angry at the media for reporting that the girl was texting these messages before she was found? Wouldn't the first thing that whoever took her go and find her phone and at that point break off all contact?
mr mario @ Mar 9th 2006 12:12PM
isnt it illegal to post pictures of a victim of a sex crime? especially since they are underage?
Zebulon @ Mar 9th 2006 12:25PM
Who said anything about a sex crime?
Bartender Sam @ Mar 9th 2006 12:41PM
"disgusting things" to a 13 year old could mean anything from eating brussel sprouts to sexual acts. If youhad to pick between the two, where would the smart money be on?
spoggle @ Mar 9th 2006 12:56PM
1) I believe the privacy of minors is protected when they are involved in *any* type of crime
2) If that is a real picture of the victim, I think it is at the least really tacky exploitationist journalism to post it.
hajmola @ Mar 9th 2006 1:52PM
Yes, the minor has a right to privacy which is currently being violated. I strongly urge you to remove the photo ASAP!
apeguero @ Mar 9th 2006 1:53PM
Hey Engadget, please take that picture down. Even if it isn't the real victim, I'd hate to see you guys get in trouble. I think it is illegal or at least unethical to show the face of a minor who is a victim of a crime, especially if it's a sex crime which is what this one appears to be.
How about use a picture of a female hand texting on a cell phone or something else?
Noam @ Mar 9th 2006 2:08PM
SMS SOS, huh?
The girl was stupid to have gone to meet some unknown person. Maybe next time she has one of those Internet safety lectures in school, she might actually listen.