The True Story of Bonnie Lohman: The Girl Who Found Her Photo on a Milk Carton
Back in the 1980s, photographs of missing children were printed on milk cartons in the United States. One day, 7-year-old Bonnie, who resided in Colorado, spotted her own face on one of these cartons while at the supermarket. However, as she was unable to read, she didn't comprehend that the words 'missing child' were inscribed above her picture.
Let's delve further into this.
Bonnie was abducted by her mother and stepfather when she was just three years old, taken away from her biological father.
The family moved around for a long time. They initially resided in Pennsylvania and San Antonio, then spent a year living in a forest cabin on the small island of Saipan, near Guam. While in Hawaii, Bonnie shares that she hardly ever ventured outside.
Eventually, they settled in Colorado. Bonnie, having never attended a real school, was still unable to read at the age of seven.
The girl's father managed to get her picture featured in a local milk carton campaign.
In January 1985, the National Child Safety Council in the United States initiated a nationwide campaign that printed the photos of missing children on milk cartons. However, this campaign was criticized for focusing only on children abducted by strangers.
The father of Bonnie was uncertain about whether or not he could participate in the campaign, given that his daughter was taken by her mother. When he stated that he had no idea where the mother was, he was told that this situation qualified as a missing case. Consequently, Bonnie's picture was printed in a local campaign that did not adhere to these rules.
It was her stepfather, the one who abducted her, who first showed Bonnie the photograph.
Bonnie was seldom allowed to leave the house. One day, her stepfather took her to the grocery store to buy milk. She recounts her surprise when the man picked up the carton, pointed at her picture on it, and said, 'Do you know who this is? You're famous,' only to be quickly hushed by him.
After purchasing the carton, her stepfather asked Bonnie if she wanted to keep the picture once the milk was finished. Bonnie cut out and kept the photo, to which the man advised, 'You should keep this in a safe place.'
Forgetting his photo at the neighbor's house changed everything.
Bonnie inadvertently left her Barbie bag, with her picture inside, at the neighbor's house. A few days later, when she went to retrieve it, the neighbor lady showed her the photo and asked if her name was Bonnie Bullock. Bonnie corrected her, 'No, my name is Bonnie Smith.'
The woman expressed her desire to keep the photo on her fridge for a while. Shortly thereafter, a large number of police officers arrived at the house and Bonnie was handed over to her father.
At first, reuniting with her father was not an easy task.
Bonnie confesses, 'I was scared because I didn't know my father. All I wanted was to be with my mother.' With time, she managed to regain a sense of normalcy; she started school, went to college, and became a nurse.
Her story is often cited as one of the few success stories of the milk carton campaigns. Of the 200 children whose photos were printed in the national campaign, only two were found alive.
Keşfet ile ziyaret ettiğin tüm kategorileri tek akışta gör!
Test
Gündem
Magazin
Video
Send Comment