UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: KELSEY EMILY COLLINS

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When a teenage trafficking victim agrees to testify against her traffickers in criminal court, she goes missing before the case makes it to trial. The disappearance and probable murder of a vulnerable child shed light on the harsh realities of hidden in plain sight sex trafficking in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Pictured: Kelsey Emily Collins as a toddler. As an infant, Kelsey faced near brushes with death, spending the majority of her first year of life in the hospital due to a birth defect. During this time, her mom stuck steadfastly by her side. Image source: family photo.
Pictured: Kelsey Emily Collins as a young child. As a young child, Kelsey suffered from seizures as a result of childhood abuse inflicted by her step-father. Kelsey’s mom fled the stepfather’s reach with her children, but the effects of the trauma would be long-lasting. Image source: family photo.
Pictured: Kelsey as as teenager. By this point in her life, she was a victim of sex-trafficking. Her traffickers exploited her past trauma and special needs. Image source: Washington State Department of Licensing.
Kelsey Emily Collins is remembered as an extraordinarily empathetic and caring young woman who never missed an opportunity to help anyone in need. Unfortunately, she was exploited as a child–and likely murdered–by ruthless human traffickers. Image source; family photo.

Sources used to research this episode:

Sex Trafficking Victim Testifies, Then Vanishes (Patrick Oppmann / CNN)

Everett Mother Shares Tragic Loss to Fight Sex Trafficking (Eric Stevick / The Everett Herald)

Teen Missing After Testimony Against Pimp (Susan Kelleher / Seattle Times)

Hirschsprung’s Disease (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

Emily’s Song: An Account of Emily’s Life and Disappearance, As Told by Her Mother (Sarah Collins)

Portland Man Sentenced to 188 Months in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Minor (U.S. Attorney’s Office / FBI.gov)

Inmate Death at USP Coleman I (U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons)

Child Sex Trafficking (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

Resources for Trafficking Victims / Families of Victims:

Team HOPE (An Initiative of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

National (US) Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888

If you know anything about the disappearance of Kelsey Emily Collins, please contact the FBI’s Seattle Field Office at 206-622-0460.

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