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Sometimes I'm like, how could I still have been so naive that this really would be going on?

You clearly know people are capable of things you never thought they would be capable of, because you lived it.

But I also grew up in a home where no one talked about those things.

And we lived our life trying to do good for other people.

But I thought that people were actually out there doing this because that was what they chose to do, just sort of was beyond my mind space.

You know, there's a lot of guilt that I still feel because I can't believe that I so totally missed it.

On the evening of May 9th, 2009, just nine days after she turned 18, Kelsey Collins left her home in Everett, Washington to go visit a friend in Seattle, approximately 30 miles away.

Kelsey was a radiant and smart young woman, but she was still young and somewhat naive.

Kelsey never returned home that night or the next day, and the nearly 14 years of looking for her have spanned from teenage innocence and rebellion.

To the dark nefarious and ugly underworld of human and sex trafficking.

What happened to Kelsey is a story that you've seen play out in media headlines before, but no two stories or victims are the same.

Her disappearance is the final act in one of the most heinous crimes a person can commit, but her victimization at the hands of dangerous people is only part of her story.

And though Kelsey's case has garnered some media attention, no one has shared an in-depth and comprehensive look at her life until now.

Amarisa and from Wondery, this is episode 377 of The Vanished, part one of Kelsey Collins' story, a new name, a new life.

Before we get started, I wanted to mention that this week and next week's episodes contain more potentially traumatic information than most of our stories.

If you choose to listen, you will hear detailed descriptions of adult subject matter, including violence, sexual assault and exploitation.

Please take care while listening.

We would also like to mention that these episodes contain interviews with family members that discuss criminal proceedings.

We would like to reiterate that anyone accused of a crime in the United States who has not pled guilty or been convicted of the alleged offense remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, with constitutional protections to a fair trial and due process.

We hold no opinion about any person's innocence or guilt and are not qualified to give legal opinions or advice. Now on with the show.

The day was Saturday, May 9, 2009, and Kelsey's older sister Dominique was going to pay Kelsey for babysitting her children by braiding Kelsey's hair.

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