Is your child safe?
KIDNAPPED!

A Victim Is Inspired By Her Own Horrific Story

By Jack Etzel

Alicia Kozakiewicz

It is every parent’s worst nightmare. On New Year’s Day 2002, a 13-year old girl from Crafton Heights was about to experience a drama that would change her perspective on life. Just like others her age, Alicia Kozakiewicz, loved the Internet, chatting with friends near and far. The latter included a 38-year old computer programmer in Herndon, Virginia. Why was a 38-year old man, 250 miles away, interested in a 13-year old Pittsburgh kid? Alicia found out.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: Thousands use the Internet, but they don’t end up in as much trouble as you did. What happened?
Alicia Kozakiewicz: I felt that I was kind of out of the loop with other kids. I chatted with friends, but at one point I ended up talking with, well, a monster. I started chatting with him more and more, and I began losing interest in my friends. He said things that made me feel good, such as, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be on your side,” and things like that.

NHMM: So, were you convinced that this was a nice guy?

Alicia: He seemed like a wonderful person.

NHMM: At what point did you figure out that something was wrong.

Alicia: We had talked, and I agreed to meet him. So, on New Year’s Day in 2002, he had driven to my house. My parents were cleaning up after dinner, so I sneaked outside because I knew he was waiting. I got in his car, and I knew that something wasn’t right at once. He grabbed my hand hard, held it really tight, and it was then that I just froze.

NHMM: And, you were in for a very long ride.

Alicia: Yes, I was. On the highway I did notice those call boxes, but I didn’t really know what they were for. I began remembering a news story about some missionaries who were taken hostage, and the husband was shot, and I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. My mother had told me at that time that if anything like that ever happens to you, just try to relax and do whatever you have to and wait for help. So I tried to be well-behaved and not panic. In the car, I pretty much did what he wanted me to do.

NHMM: Eventually, you arrived at his place in Virginia. How were you treated once he took you into his townhouse? Tell as much or as little as you care to talk about.

Alicia: I don’t talk about it in detail much at all. I haven’t even discussed it much with my folks. I can tell you it was cold, dark and very scary. When kids ask me about those days . . .

NHMM: Wait a minute. We’re getting a little ahead of things, but since you mentioned kids, let’s talk about what you’re doing these days with young people at schools, churches, and elsewhere.

Alicia: I talk to young people; usually between the ages of about nine, and young teens, like the age I was at the time, and their parents. I show them a picture of me on a Missing Poster, and I explain to them what happened to me, how horrible it was being held captive in this man’s bedroom for four days and nights. I just hope I can convince some kid, even if I get through to just one, to be very careful about who you are in contact with on the Internet. You never know who it really might be. In fact, if they don’t really personally know the person, they shouldn’t be in contact with him. When I start my speech, I usually begin by saying, “I’m here to save your life.” That gets their attention.

NHMM: After they hear your story, what kind of questions do you get from those kids?

Alicia: It seems a lot of them want to know what he gave me to eat. I like that question because they’re surprised at my answer. I tell them, “I didn’t eat for those four days,” and they really freak out at that. “You mean you’re still alive and didn’t have anything to eat?”

NHMM: Didn’t you have the chance to escape?

Alicia: I was afraid. When he would go to work, I could see his car out of a window, but I remember thinking that maybe that was just a test and what if he came back? I thought about screaming and yelling for help, but what if he heard me? It just wasn’t like a movie, where the person breaks loose, then runs to safety. I never thought I should take that chance.

NHMM: How did it all end?

Alicia: He showed me on a web cam to another guy on the Internet. That person recognized me from a story in the news about a girl kidnapped from Pittsburgh. He called the FBI, and they got Yahoo to track down the address.
Later, when he wasn’t there, I heard a lot of yelling and the FBI burst into the room. It was wonderful. They were great, and someday I want to be on a team like that. And, I want to follow through on a case like that as a psychologist.

Note: Her abductor, Scott Tyree, is serving a 19-year sentence. Alicia is majoring in forensic psychology at Point Park University.