Missing 7-year-old sees her face on a milk carton but doesn’t understand what it means

For 7-year-old Bonnie Lohman, her childhood was a lonely affair. She could only watch while children played outside as her parents kept her inside the house.

She wasn’t allowed to go to school and moved a lot including to Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands and Hawaii before her parents eventually settled in Colorado, where Bonnie was allowed more freedom.

On a trip to the grocery store with her stepdad, Bonnie was shown a milk carton with her picture on it, but didn’t recognize that it was related to her being a missing child because she couldn’t read.

Milk cartons featuring images of missing children became popular in the 1980s. Images of Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin who went missing while delivering newspapers were the first to appear on the cartons and by 1985, 700 of 1,600 independent dairies in the U.S. had adopted this practice.

Sadly, most of the children were never found but the case of Bonnie Lohman was a success story.

As the youngster had been taken from her dad by her mom and stepdad and not a stranger, the case wasn’t given as much attention, but thanks to her father’s persistence her image was featured on the side of a milk carton.

When her stepdad showed her the picture in a store she didn’t understand what it meant but wanted to hold onto the image.

He agreed but told her to keep it a secret. Lohman shared: “I remember cutting it out and staring at the picture.”

She kept it among her toys, but when Bonnie accidentally left it at her neighbor’s house along with her bag of toys, the neighbors found it and knew exactly what it meant. They called the police upon discovering the photo and Bonnie was reunited with her father.

It was a tough time for the then 7-year-old who didn’t understand what was going on and ultimately missed her mother.

A tearful Lohman stated: “I remember being scared because I didn’t know my dad. It sucked.”

Eventually she formed a bond with her dad and was able to access an education with the support of her father.

“I believe I am who I am because I was on a milk carton, and I was found. I was able to live a great life, and I am grateful for it,” she added.

By the late 1980s, featuring missing children on milk cartons started to fade and by 1996 the practice had disappeared altogether with the creation of the AMBER alert system in 1996 where a message is distributed asking the public for help.

While so many parents lived through the horrors of never finding their missing children, the scheme had some successes. I’m glad that Bonnie was reunited with her father and allowed access to a proper education and a stable home environment.

Related Posts

26 Pictures That Need A Second Look

Our eyes may lie to us more often than we think. Optical illusions are seen in everyday life. Viral Strange will list some pictures that really need…

12 Stories That Show Parents Are Basically Superheroes in Disguise

Moms and dads always do surprising things every day, often without anyone catching. They help, caring for, and encourage us in ways that can feel almost fascinating….

Woman Asks Husband of 30 Years for Divorce Even Though He’d Done Nothing — Story of the Day

Kelly told Zack she was divorcing him after years of feeling neglected and unappreciated. Despite his tears and frantic questions, she explained that he had done nothing…

Johnny Mathis says goodbye – struggles with memory decline

After over six decades of enchanting audiences with his smooth, romantic ballads, Johnny Mathis, 89, is retiring due to age and memory decline. The legendary singer, known…

Breaking News. Donald Trump signs a decree to buy everything… See more

President Trump has recently signed several executive orders:He directed the Treasury and Commerce Departments to create a sovereign wealth fund to support government investments, including potential acquisitions…

Gang finds unusually spiky creatures in nest – takes a closer look and jaws drop when they realize what kind of animals they are

A group of researchers in Australia is thrilled after their efforts to propagate the species seem to have succeeded. Recently, ecologists at the Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *