It took months, years, and sometimes decades, but these missing persons cases were finally put to rest. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re showcasing 10 missing person stories that concluded with justice being served, long awaited reunions, or happy endings for the parties involved.
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00:00Though she did get some traditional counseling, Elizabeth says it was the simple things, like her music, that gave her the most comfort.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're showcasing 10 missing person stories that concluded with justice being served,
00:14long-awaited reunions, or happy endings for the parties involved.
00:17This was all about us coming together for like a greater purpose of community and love.
00:24Julian Hernandez
00:26In this case, a simple college application uncovered a 13-year-long ruse.
00:31In August of 2002, young Julian Hernandez was taken by his father Bobby.
00:36Bobby had left behind a note for Julian's mother, saying only that he had taken their son.
00:41No other details were given, and father and son seemingly disappeared into thin air.
00:46They had actually gone to Cleveland and developed new identities,
00:50with Bobby obtaining a social security guard under the name Jonathan Mangina.
00:54This is the house where young Julian Hernandez was living with his dad, a stepmom, and a little stepsister.
01:00He was an honor student, headed to college in the fall, and then his world came crashing down with the discovery that he was missing, and he didn't even know it.
01:08The ruse finally ended when Julian applied for college in 2015.
01:12A school counselor discovered that Julian was legally missing, and notified authorities.
01:17Nineteen-year-old Julian, who has forgiven his father, was then reunited with his mother, and Bobby was sentenced to four years in prison.
01:32Today, Jan Broberg felt is a professional actress, having found success on stage and fame on the WB's Everwood, in which she portrayed Nurse Louise.
01:41Unfortunately, Broberg suffered a harrowing childhood that involved multiple kidnappings.
01:47Back in 1972, Broberg's parents met the Birchtold family through church.
01:52Broberg quickly developed a father-daughter relationship with Robert Birchtold.
02:04Unfortunately, Birchtold kidnapped Broberg and took her to his trailer home in Mexico.
02:11She was eventually rescued, but then kidnapped again two years later, and the now teen proceeded to live with Birchtold in California for four months.
02:18She was eventually rescued by the FBI, and her story was later turned into the Netflix documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight.
02:25She was eventually rescued by the FBI, and her story was later turned into the Netflix documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight.
02:33This is easily one of the most famous kidnapping stories of our time.
02:36This is easily one of the most famous kidnapping stories of our time.
02:40Having attained fame through its dramatic conclusion, between 2002 and 2004,
02:46a man named Ariel Castro kidnapped the three women off the streets of Cleveland by offering them lifts.
02:52They remained in his house for roughly a decade, and were subjected to various forms of horrible torture.
02:57It wasn't until May 6th, 2013, that Berry saw her chance of escape.
03:02Castro had accidentally left a door unlocked, and Berry was able to contact passing neighbors.
03:10They helped Berry and her daughter escape the house, and she telephoned the police to report the kidnappings, after which the other two were rescued.
03:17They helped Berry and her daughter escape the house, and she telephoned the police to report the kidnappings, after which the other two were rescued.
03:24Castro was arrested that same day, and he would later take his own life in his detention cell.
03:29I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning.
03:36Lucy Ann Johnson
03:37In 1961, Lucy Ann Johnson disappeared from her home in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
03:43Bizarrely, it wasn't until 1965 that her husband Marvin reported her missing.
03:48This made him a prime suspect in her disappearance, but no evidence of wrongdoing was found.
03:54In 2013, Johnson's daughter Linda initiated her own investigation,
03:59which led her to a small territory called the Yukon where her mother previously lived.
04:03With aid from the local media, Linda met a woman named Rhonda, who claimed that Johnson was also her mother.
04:10Turns out Johnson had left Marvin due to domestic violence, but he prevented her from taking her two children along.
04:16She then relocated back to the Yukon, where she remarried and had four other kids.
04:21Brian Anthony McCain II aka Busy Bone
04:25Today, Brian Anthony McCain II, also known as Busy Bone,
04:29is a Grammy-winning musician best known as a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
04:33However, his life took a dramatic turn in 1981 when he and his sisters were taken by their mother's boyfriend.
04:40Deceived into believing that their mother and grandmother had died,
04:43the siblings were transported all over northern Oklahoma.
04:46Eventually, they settled on a reservation in Kaw, Oklahoma.
04:50In 1983, the TV film Adam was broadcast, which featured photos of missing children before the end credits.
04:57One of these was McCain.
04:59His babysitter recognized the picture and promptly contacted the authorities.
05:03This led to McCain and his sisters being reunited with their mother.
05:07I went through a lot of things as a kid, and I think that, you know, it helped me become who I am.
05:13On March 2, 1998, Natasha Kampusch left her home in Vienna, Austria for school
05:19and disappeared without a trace.
05:21Police launched a massive investigation searching many vehicles, but they couldn't find her.
05:26Kampusch had been abducted by communications technician Wolfgang Pricklepil,
05:30who confined her to a cellar in his home.
05:33I didn't know what was going to happen.
05:36In that moment, I thought it was the end.
05:39She remained under captivity for eight years, during which she was assaulted by Pricklepil,
05:44both physically and sexually.
05:46In 2006, while cleaning Pricklepil's van,
05:49she ran outside and alerted neighbors, who called the police.
05:52It was an enormous feeling of joy that cannot be compared to anything else.
05:57You see all the possibilities laid out in front of you.
06:00That night, Pricklepil decided to end his own life rather than face justice.
06:04Kampusch later released books on her experience and was briefly a talk show host.
06:09Her story was immortalized in the 2013 film 3096 Days.
06:14Michelle Whitaker
06:16South Carolina woman Michelle Whitaker went missing in August of 2002
06:19after a friend gave her a lift to a truck stop.
06:22Is she walking around somewhere? Is she okay? Or is she laying in a ditch somewhere?
06:27I don't want to go to my grave not knowing what's happened to my daughter.
06:31Her case later turned into a homicide investigation,
06:34and police suspected a man named Jonathan Vick.
06:37Vick was the boyfriend of Whitaker's co-worker, and she had also gone missing.
06:41However, police were unable to prove that Vick killed Whitaker.
06:45The case went cold until 2008.
06:47An Oregon woman was watching a Forensic Files episode about Vick
06:51when a picture of Whitaker flashed on screen.
06:53The woman recognized Whitaker as her neighbor and contacted the authorities.
06:58Her neighbor was indeed the missing Michelle Whitaker,
07:00and she later told her family that she had fled South Carolina to start a new life in Oregon.
07:11Amanda Eller
07:16Yoga teacher and physical therapist Amanda Eller decided to go for a hike
07:20through the Hawaiian wilderness.
07:22She never returned home, and her boyfriend quickly reported her missing.
07:26Her vehicle was found abandoned near Maui's Kahakapau Trail,
07:30but there were no signs of Eller.
07:32She had accidentally wandered off the trail
07:35and found herself in the middle of the remote wilderness.
07:37When it was obvious that help wasn't coming,
07:40she was forced to live off wild plants, berries, and rainwater.
07:44After over two long and grueling weeks,
07:46Eller was finally located by a search party and rescued via helicopter.
08:03She was in surprisingly good condition,
08:05and was treated at a local hospital for a fractured leg.
08:10Elizabeth Smart
08:16Violently ripped from her own home and her own bed in the middle of the night.
08:20Back in June of 2002, a man named Brian David Mitchell broke into the Smart household
08:26and abducted teenager Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom.
08:29Her sister, Mary Catherine, was also in the room at the time of the abduction,
08:33but faked being still sleeping.
08:35Elizabeth remained with Mitchell and his wife for the next nine months.
08:39Mary Catherine suddenly realized that the man who took her sister
08:42was the same man who had worked on their house as a general laborer one day.
08:47A sketch of the man was drawn up and released to news outlets.
08:50One day while walking in Sandy, Utah,
08:52several eyewitnesses recognized Mitchell's face and notified police of his location.
08:57He and his wife were successfully captured, and Smart was finally rescued.
09:02She's sharing her story to help other victims of abuse.
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09:26Jacey Dugard
09:27Jacey Dugard was tased and snatched off the street while approaching her school bus
09:35on June 10, 1991. The perpetrators were husband and wife duo Philip and Nancy Garrido.
09:41Despite numerous people witnessing the kidnapping, the trail went cold,
09:45and no one heard anything of Dugard for the next 18 years.
09:49In that time, Dugard was consistently assaulted by Philip Garrido and bore him two daughters.
09:55The case was finally broken by a special events manager named Lisa Campbell. Garrido was visiting
10:00UC Berkeley with his two daughters, and their, quote, erratic behavior caught Campbell's attention.
10:05After getting his name through the booking of an appointment, she notified the police,
10:09which eventually led to Garrido's arrest. Dugard was finally rescued and reunited
10:14with her mother on August 27, 2009, now almost 30 years old.
10:25Which missing person story did you find to be the most hopeful?
10:34Let us know in the comments. Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
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