I knew Irene was destined for great things ever since we were young. She was one of the most hard-working, brightest and ambitious people I’ve ever met to this day. Additionally, she had a likeable personality that you couldn’t ignore. She was quiet but full of life. Everywhere she went, she brought cheer. When I found out that she had moved abroad, I knew that her destiny was finally being fulfilled. However, it turned into tragedy after she met someone online and went missing.
Irene moved to the US to pursue a nursing degree. As soon as she arrived, she was able to land a job and started to support herself. She would also send money to her family in Kenya to take care of their expenses. Irene had always been a family-oriented girl and that didn’t stop when she moved abroad. She stayed in touch with her parents constantly and informed them about her life.
Though her life abroad was very good, according to her Facebook posts, she opened up about feeling lonely.
“Life abroad can be lonely. Many people who lived here before warned me about it. It’s hard to make friends and even harder to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. I hope I will make new friends soon.” She wrote.
After seeing that she was struggling, I reached out to her on Facebook to make sure that she didn’t feel too lonely. We chatted and caught up on our lives. We kept in touch after that until she finally informed me that she had met someone.
“I’ve met a nice guy.” She messaged me on Facebook.
“Really? That’s amazing. Where did you meet him?”
“There’s a site called Craigslist where you can find almost anything.”
“I think I’ve heard about it. Is it safe?”
“It is. I’ve used it before to buy some of my furniture.”
“That’s nice. What is he like?”
“I’ll tell you all about him when I come back. I’m going to meet him right now.”
“Okay. I wish all the best.” I said.
It was common for people to use the Internet to meet people. Nonetheless, it was still dangerous, especially for foreigners. There are so many reports of people meeting people online who turn out to be criminals. However, Irene had been living in the US for about three years and she felt like she knew her environment well. Additionally, she wasn’t the one to shy away from challenges. She wasn’t afraid to learn lessons the hard way especially if the reward was worth it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in her favour this time.
Three days after telling me that she was going on a date, she messaged me to tell me how it went.
“How are you doing, babe?” She messaged me.
“I’m doing good. I’m about to go to bed.”
“Really? It’s lunchtime here.”
“Are you on your lunch break?”
“Yes, I’ve just left the hospital.
“Great. How did the date go?”
“The date went perfectly. We met at a fast food restaurant and talked for hours then he took me home. He’s such a sweet man.” She said.
“I’m happy to hear that. What’s his name?”
“He’s called Nathan.”
We chatted a little bit more before I went to bed.
I watched as Irene’s and Nathan’s relationship developed on Facebook. She posted pictures of their date nights and wrote sweet captions about her boyfriend. I was happy that she had finally found someone but still worried because things were moving fast.
When I tried to talk to her about it, she blocked me on Facebook and that was the last time I heard from her. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. I couldn’t explain it but I just felt constantly worried.
I asked her siblings to check on her which they did and informed her that she was fine. However, they expressed that they found Nathan a bit odd.
“He’s so quiet and says that he doesn’t have any friends. They’ve also stopped coming for family gatherings and I’m afraid that he’s isolating her from us.” His brother told me.
After that, three weeks didn’t pass before they called me again to tell me that they hadn’t spoken to Irene.
“She video-called our parents a few weeks ago then we started getting odd messages from her which didn’t sound like her. After that, she went silent and we haven’t heard from her since then.”
“Have you reported it to the police?”
“Yes, they said they’ll look into it and keep us updated.”
After investigations, the police informed them that their prime suspect was Nathan but they hadn’t arrested him yet since there wasn’t enough evidence.
“We haven’t found Irene, but we found evidence that makes us believe that she disappeared under suspicious circumstances.” The police started. “Did you know she had a boyfriend?”
“Yes, she told us about him though we didn’t know much about him.” Her brother replied.
“Well, according to her phone records, she was living with him in Gillette before her disappearance. We also discovered that he withdrew money from her account, and deleted her emails and social media accounts after she went missing.” The police explained.
The search for Irene gained media attention and residents of the town she lived in conducted search parties to find her. Billboards were put up and people shared her missing posters on social media which encouraged her family. Her parents also travelled to the US to look for her in hospitals and morgues but never found her.
To this day, no one has seen or heard from Irene. However, some justice was served after Nathan was sentenced to 6 years in prison for stealing Irene’s money and using her credit cards when she disappeared.
Irene’s family is still looking for her with the help of well-wishers and the police but are happy that some justice has been served after Nathan was convicted of theft.
This story is inspired by this story on this story on People’s.
Check out
The Love Of My Life Died During A Vacation Outside The Country
My Toxic Ex Harassed Me On Social Media Until I Had To Deactivate My Accounts
She Found Out That Her Ex-Boyfriend Had Hacked Her Social Media Accounts
My Perfect Gentleman Turned Out To Be Possessive
