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Success for Alicia's Law Idaho

5/29/2013

Alicia Kozakiewicz and Protect join forces for Alicia’s Law in Idaho! Idaho Alicia’s Law establishes the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force fund. Idaho law enforcement has identified 5,000 computers trading in images of children being raped and exploited. We know that one in every three arrests in cases like these leads directly to a child waiting to be rescued.

Until yesterday, a small, dedicated cohort of four investigators had to deal with those 5,000 leads. But now, with the passage of Alicia’s Law, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will receive an additional $2 million in the next financial year, and an additional $1.6 million every year thereafter.

That means the investigative staff will grow from four to 15. And they’ll be able to add two forensic examiners, a prosecutor, and one administrative support person. Studies show us that this increase in staff — dedicated solely to the arrest of Idaho predators and the rescue of Idaho child-abuse victims — will translate to an additional 385 child rapists captured each year. The average offender has 14 victims, so those additional captures amount to 5,390 innocent children being rescued each year.

Thank you:
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and his staff
Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including James Kouril and Tim Brady
Paul Jagosh and Joel Teuber at the Fraternal Order of Police
Speaker of the House Scott Bedke
Sen. Chuck Winder
Sen. Patti Anne Lodge
Sen. Jim Rice
Sen. Curt McKenzie
Sen. Dean Mortimer
Rep. Darrell Bolz
Rep. Christy Perry
Rep. Lynn Luker

Read it here: http://www.kivitv.com/news/local/209427251.html

For more information on Alicia’s Law, please go to http://www.protect.org/aliciaslaw

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Alicia Kozakiewicz Appears on CNN Sanjay Gupta, MD

5/15/2013

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In the “Human Factor,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta profiles survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle — injury, illness or other hardship — they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn’t know they possessed. This week we introduce you to Alicia Kozakiewicz. Eleven years ago at age 13, Kozakiewicz was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a 38-year-old man who kept her as his sex slave in his homemade dungeon. Soon after surviving this nightmare, the young woman began to talk about her ordeal and to be a voice for other children being held captive.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Alicia Kozakiewicz, Dr. Jeff Gardere

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Special to CNN: I, too, am an abduction survivor

5/15/2013

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Alicia Kozakiewicz was abducted at age 13 and taken to Virginia
Someone who saw a live video stream alerted authorities and she was rescued
The three Cleveland women will likely face PTSD in their recovery, she says
Kozakiewicz salutes all three women as heroes

Editor's note: In the "Human Factor," Dr. Sanjay Gupta profiles survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle -- injury, illness or other hardship -- they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn't know they possessed. This week we introduce you to Alicia Kozakiewicz. Eleven years ago at age 13, Kozakiewicz was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a 38-year-old man who kept her as his sex slave in his homemade dungeon. Soon after surviving this nightmare, the young woman began to talk about her ordeal and to be a voice for other children being held captive.

(CNN) -- The amazing escape of three Cleveland women -- Amanda Berry, Georgina "Gina" DeJesus, and Michelle Knight -- exploded into the media amid sordid back stories of their captivity and gave life yet again to my own dark memories of captivity and despair.

At age 13, I, too, became the helpless victim of a sexually depraved monster, a vicious Internet predator who actively groomed me. Luring me from my home, he abducted me to Virginia where I was held captive in his basement dungeon.

For days, I was raped, beaten and tortured, and like an animal, chained to the floor by a locking dog collar. My abductor shared my degradation via streaming video, boasting online about the young girl he had taken to be his sex slave.

It was this very brazenness that would lead to my rescue, as one recipient of the live broadcast, afraid of his own involvement in the crime, scoured the newspaper and found my National Center for Missing and Exploited Children missing person flier. Seeing that my family and the FBI were searching for me, he used a pay phone to contact authorities.

This led the FBI to where I was being imprisoned. The chain was cut from my neck; I was set free and gifted with a second chance at life. Had that call not been made, or had the investigation taken only a bit longer, the monster would have most likely murdered me. Sadly, 74% of stranger-abducted children will be killed within the first three hours.

Though my rescue was miraculous, recovery and re-assimilation has been difficult. Despite this, at 14, after an all-too-brief period of healing, I began to speak out and share my story with students, parents, teachers, law enforcement -- anybody who would listen.

I came to realize that other children need not suffer my traumatic experience, and so the "Alicia Project" was born. Continuing my mission, I've joined Discovery ID to raise awareness of, and effect change for, issues such as Internet safety, missing persons, human trafficking and child safety awareness education.

Castro brothers: 'He should rot in jail' Councilman: Audit missing people cases Ohio AG: The investigation is not over I was attending an Amber Alert roundtable in Florida when news broke of the Cleveland rescue. Few have had positive outcomes; their loved ones have been recovered deceased or not at all. Those whose children have yet to be recovered are searching tirelessly, proclaiming that they will never give up. I watched their faces light up as they heard the news. You could almost hear each of them say, "That could be my child!"

These women are unbelievably lucky to have been pulled from the hell they were suffering and given another chance. They are excited to be back with their families and/or loved ones and everything is moving so quickly that their pain and trauma may be eclipsed by their joy.

Unfortunately, this is likely to be short-lived. The vast majority of those who have survived a traumatic experience suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Nightmares, flashbacks, an inability to be in large crowds, hypervigilance, etc., may become a part of their daily lives. It's important for those around them to be sensitive and to allow them to express their pain.

Additionally, people must also temper their questioning of the events that unfolded while the girls were missing. It is their story and their choice whether to share it. They do not owe that to the world. Privacy is essential.

Survivors, aware of the agonies their families have endured, may feel the need to appear to be "fine" because they do not want to add to their loved ones' grief. This is one of the many reasons counseling is vital for healthy mental well-being, as it provides a forum in which to speak freely without concern for the reaction of others.

Healing, for each of us, is an ongoing process. I still have days where I suffer from PTSD, but they are becoming less frequent. Traumas don't simply vanish, but we can definitely choose to fill our lives with positive experiences as time goes on.

What people should take from this story is a message of hope. We must never give up hope that any child, whatever the circumstances, will be rescued and returned safely home.

Amanda, Michelle and Georgina, you have so many wonderful things in store for you. Only those of us who have experienced the terror of threatened captivity may truly appreciate the hero you became as you seized that chance of escape, Amanda. Together, you survived.

Welcome home, heroes.

Follow Alicia Kozakiewicz on Facebook and Twitter.

Read it here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/15/health/human-factor-alicia-kozakiewicz

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Kidnap Victim Fights to Save Others

5/14/2013

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CBS46 News

Mike Paluska, CBS46
ATLANTA (CBS46) - It has been more than 11 years since Alicia Kozakiewicz was abducted outside her Pittsburgh home, driven hundreds of miles away and locked in a basement that was hell on earth.

Not a day goes by that Kozakiewicz does not remember the horrific crimes against her mentally and physically.

"I fear I will wake up and still be there, and this is all a dream," Kozakiewicz said. "It is hard to sit here, and talk about it and relive it, but that's not the important part. The important part is it (the story) gets out."

Kozakiewicz was abducted in 2002 outside of her Pittsburgh home by Scott Tyree. Tyree manipulated Kozakiewicz through Yahoo Chat. At the time, she had no idea the danger she was in.

"What he had done was groomed me and made himself seem like my best friend in the world," Kozakiewicz said. "And we talked about everything. And he was always on my side and he made my friends seem like they were bad people and my parents were bad people for me."

Tyree would ultimately abduct her and drive to his home in a suburban Washington D.C. neighborhood. There, she was chained to the floor with a collar locked around her neck. For four days she was tortured, beaten and sexually assaulted.

On the last day of her captivity, Kozakiewicz said she knew he was going to kill her.

"That was the day he told me he was beginning to like me too much. And that night we were going to go for a ride. And I took that as he was going to kill me. And I realized that was the day - game over," Kozakiewicz said.

Why didn't she run? Scream? Try and break free? Those are questions victims are often asked. This is Kozakiewicz's response.

"You can't comment on that until you are there. For me, I was never really sure if he was just standing outside the door waiting to hear me to scream, and it was a test. ... That is enough fear to keep you put," Kozakiewicz said.

Tyree left for work, and she waited to be murdered. That didn't happen. The Federal Bureau of Investigation were able to track Tyree's home using the internet. With guns drawn, they swarmed the home and saved Kozakiewicz's life.

"It really gave me a second chance at life. They are my angels," she said.

With all of the stories of kidnapping victims being found years, even decades later, Kozakiewicz wants people not to give up on the missing.

"The important message out of this is hope. Never give up," Kozakiewicz said.

Kozakiewicz has talked to thousands of children over the years to warn them about the ‘monster' that attacked her.

"If I speak to a million kids, it doesn't matter. It is the one that matters. Just reaching the one to save them from what I've gone through and my parents have gone through, it is worth it," Kozakiewicz said.

Currently, she is a contributor on Discovery ID. And she has started a nonprofit called the Alicia Project.

Tyree pleaded guilty to traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a minor. He received nearly 20 years in prison and according to the Bureau of Prisons is scheduled to be released as early as 2019.

"He is not a person to me. People always ask, ‘Did you forgive him?' Absolutely not. I have made him not a human. You can forgive a human they make mistakes. Monsters don't," Kozakiewicz said.

Copyright 2013 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

Read more: http://www.cbs46.com/story/22222451/kidnap-victims-continue-fight-to-save-others#ixzz3J7Qh7GTl

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Abduction Survivor Offers Insights on Recovery

5/12/2013

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MSNBC's Alex Witt talks to abduction survivor, Alicia Kozakiewicz. Alicia offers her insights on the psychology of abduction and coping with such a traumatic experience. She comments on the Ohio kidnappings and her long road to recovery.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/weekends-with-alex-witt/51859497

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'NCIS' Star Pauley Perrette and Alicia Kozakiewicz Team Up to Protect Children

5/10/2013

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After a decade of torture, torment and terror for three captive women and one of their young daughters, they’re finally free, but they’re facing the glare of constant media attention. “omg! Insider” spoke to kidnap survivor Alicia Kozakiewicz, who was rescued by the FBI in 2002. Now, Alicia is devoted to helping other victims by working as a contributor to “Investigation Discovery,” which caught the attention of “NCIS” actress Pauley Perrette. The two have now teamed up for an upcoming episode of “America’s Most Wanted.”

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Alicia Kozakiewicz Offers Support for Women Rescued in Ohio

5/8/2013

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By Steve Chenevey

Happy endings like the one in Cleveland don't happen often in cases of missing people, but luckily they do happen sometimes.

Eleven years after she was abducted, tortured, and held captive in what police describe as a dungeon in a Herndon, Va. town home, Alicia Kozakiewicz still can’t shake the horrible memories.

“I knew my parents would look for me, but there I was in Hell. How could they find me?” she says.

Kozakiewicz was just 13 years old when she was taken from her Pittsburgh home and driven to Northern Virginia. She had no idea where she was. Her only thought was that she was going to die.

“At one point he said, ‘I’m beginning to like you too much. Tonight we’re going for a ride.’ I knew it was game over and I decided I was going to fight and do whatever I could to get away, but accepted that it probably wasn’t going to work, but wouldn’t accept that I was not going down without a fight,” she says.

When FBI agents showed up to rescue her a few days later, she thought they were men her abductor, Scott Tyree, sent to kill her.

Kozakiewicz now counsels other survivors and families who have missing loved ones. She was doing that when the news broke that the girls in Cleveland were found alive.

“It was so amazing to watch these parents,” she says. “Their faces lit up because it was their hope that could be their child.”

Kozakiewicz’s face lit up too, but as a survivor she knows that the girls’ exuberance of new-found freedom will wear off soon.

“They’ve been hurt and when you’ve been hurt it’s OK to hurt. To have nightmares and flashbacks, that’s understandable. It’s a moment of weakness, but it doesn’t mean that you are weak,” she says.

Kozakiewicz’s hope is that, much like herself with her public speaking, the women will eventually find purpose to outweigh the pain they’ve endured.

“I wish I could hug them all and tell them I’m here for them and that people are here to support them.”

Kozakiewicz says she still has nightmares and suffers from PTSD. Her advice to the newly-freed Cleveland women is to surround themselves with loved ones. Her advice for families with missing loved ones is to never give up hope.

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/alicia-kozakiewicz-offers-support-for-women-rescued-in-ohio-88542.html#ixzz3JBMsmQxQ

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Success for Alicia's Law Idaho

Alicia Kozakiewicz Appears on CNN Sanjay Gupta, MD

Special to CNN: I, too, am an abduction survivor

Kidnap Victim Fights to Save Others

Abduction Survivor Offers Insights on Recovery

'NCIS' Star Pauley Perrette and Alicia Kozakiewicz Team Up to Protect Children

Alicia Kozakiewicz Offers Support for Women Rescued in Ohio﻿﻿

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Alicia Kozakiewicz Offers Support for Women Rescued in Ohio