My 19-year-old niece Aly disappeared. Car, keys, cell phone, and laptop were abandoned at the airport. Law enforcement couldn’t differentiate a legitimate trip from a nefarious abduction, because she was . . . a legal adult.

On December 10, my presumably happy niece left the country with a person she’d met online but had never met in person. Multiple airline tickets to multiple destinations were purchased in her name. Airport security cameras outbound and inbound showed a third traveler.

Multiple sources confirmed that Aly arrived in Canada, which narrowed our search to 3.8 million square miles with multiple points of entry.

We learned that laws designed to protect young people will enable traffickers with almost unfettered permission to travel below the radar with 18- to 20-year-olds. Aly’s young adult status created a barrier separating her from her parents, while deepening her relationship with a potential trafficker.

Maneuvering the legal systems of two countries became as much a challenge as finding one 19-year-old in the entire country of Canada.

A representative from one trafficking organization estimated that Aly might fetch $100,000. She looked much younger than 19, and customers of human traffickers are willing to pay more for a youthful appearance.

Aly left a scar on her mother’s heart that will never leave.