Bonnie Lohman was only 3 years old when her mother and stepfather took her away, separating her from her biological father. The family stayed in Saipan, where they lived in a shack, and later in Hawaii, before settling in Colorado, United States.
In the mid-80s, when Bonnie was 7, her stepfather took her to the supermarket for a rare outing. There, he showed her a milk carton with her photo on it and told her she was famous. The girl didn’t understand that the words “missing child” appeared over her face.
Her stepfather bought the carton and, when they finished the milk, let her cut out the photo and keep it. Bonnie put it in her Barbie case, unaware that her biological father had managed to get her included in that campaign to find missing children.
One day, she forgot her toys at a neighbor’s house, and they found the cutout and eventually alerted the authorities. Shortly afterward, the police arrived at the home, and Bonnie was returned to her father.
But the reunion wasn’t what one might imagine. Years later, Bonnie said she was afraid because she didn’t recognize her father and that, at that moment, all she wanted was to go back to her mother. Over time, she was able to rebuild her life, go to school, and become a nurse.