It’s been over a decade since Kelsey Collins vanished without a trace in Everett, Washington.
Her disappearance remains one of the most heartbreaking unsolved cold cases in recent memory.
Kelsey Emily Collins was described as a lovely individual by family members.
She was born with Hirschsprung’s disease, a rare condition that affects the intestines.
Due to this sickness, Kelsey spent much of her early childhood in and out of hospitals.
By the age of three, her parents divorced due to her father’s alcoholism.
Her mother, Sarah Collins, remarried, but the new marriage brought more pain.
Sarah’s husband was abusive, and Kelsey witnessed the violence firsthand.
When Sarah discovered that her husband had sexually abused her older daughters, she made the brave decision to leave.
With Kelsey and her siblings, Sarah moved across the country, living in shelters and eventually settling in Washington.
During this time, Kelsey’s name was changed from Emily to Kelsey, and the family started a new life.
But the scars of her early years followed her.
By the age of 12, Kelsey was struggling.
She ran away from home frequently, missed school, and began experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
Despite her troubles, her family remembers her as kind-hearted and loving.
Her sister Dominique Hicks described her as “the sweetest child in the world.”
At 16, Kelsey’s life took a dark turn.
She fell in love with an older man who initially showered her with gifts and attention.
But soon, he introduced her to the world of human trafficking.
Kelsey, naive and vulnerable, was manipulated into prostitution.
She became known as “Lady Dollars” on the streets of Seattle and Portland.
She was controlled by pimps who used violence to keep her in line.
Kelsey’s life was a double existence.
By day, she was a special education student at Mariner High School.
By night, she worked as a prostitute.
Her family often saw her return home with bruises and cuts, which she dismissed as accidents or school fights.
In 2008, she was arrested in Portland and agreed to testify against her pimp in a federal case.
Her testimony was a brave act, but it came at a cost.
Just three weeks after testifying, Kelsey vanished.
Her disappearance happened shortly after she had turned 18 and just before Mother's Day.
The Day of Her Disappearance
Around 5:30 PM, on May 9 2009, Kelsey told her mom, Sarah, that she was heading out to catch a bus to Seattle.
She said she was going to visit her new boyfriend.
Kelsey left with very little—just a small black purse, her phone, an mp3 player, a hairbrush, her ID, and a few dollars in cash.
There was nothing to suggest she planned to be gone for long.
She didn’t pack extra clothes or take anything that would hint she was running away.
When Sarah woke up the next morning, Kelsey wasn’t home.
This wasn’t entirely unusual—Kelsey had a history of running away or staying out late.
But something felt different this time.
Sarah’s gut told her something was wrong.
She called Kelsey’s boyfriend, but he said Kelsey never showed up.
Kelsey had always come home before, even if it was late.
When there was no sign of Kelsey, her mother filed a missing person report with the local police department
Kelsey’s family was left with more questions than answers.
Why did she disappear?
Was she in danger?
Did someone hurt her because of her testimony?
To this day, no one knows what happened to Kelsey after she left her home that evening.
The Search and Investigation
After Sarah Collins filed a missing person report, what happened next was frustrating and heartbreaking.
At first, the police didn’t seem to care much.
Kelsey was 18, and because she had a history of running away and working as a prostitute, some officers brushed off her disappearance.
One detective even told Sergeant Doug Justus, a Portland officer who knew Kelsey, “She’s 18. She’s a prostitute. So what?”
This cold response left Kelsey’s family feeling like no one was on their side.
Sarah didn’t give up.
She begged the police to track Kelsey’s phone, but they said no because Kelsey was an adult.
Weeks later, Sarah found out that Kelsey’s phone had been sending signals in the Seattle area for two weeks after she disappeared.
But by then, it was too late to do anything about it.
The family also learned that Kelsey hadn’t been added to the national missing person database for almost five months.
This meant police across the country didn’t even know she was missing.
It was a huge mistake that made finding her even harder.
Sarah took matters into her own hands.
She sent emails to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, begging for help.
She even went to Portland to put up missing person posters.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Kemp Strickland asked her to take them down.
He was worried that spreading the word about Kelsey’s disappearance might hurt the case against her pimp.
Meanwhile, the criminal case against Kelsey’s traffickers was falling apart.
Kelsey had been the key witness in a case against her pimp, Donnico Tyrel Johnson, and his partner, Lisa Miles.
But without Kelsey, the charges were dropped in March 2010 because there wasn’t enough evidence.
Kelsey’s family believes her disappearance is tied to her testimony.
Detective Doug Justus, who worked with Kelsey, agrees. “I truly believe she was killed for testifying in this case,” he said.
“The federal government didn’t do their job; they didn’t protect her.”
Despite the setbacks, Kelsey’s family hasn’t stopped looking for answers.
Ongoing Efforts and Unanswered Questions
Even after more than a decade, Kelsey Collins’ disappearance continues to haunt her family and those who knew her.
Despite the years that have passed, her loved ones have never stopped searching for answers.
They continue to fight for justice, hoping that one day the truth about what happened to Kelsey will come to light.
Sarah Collins, Kelsey’s mother, has been the driving force behind keeping her daughter’s case alive.
She has tirelessly reached out to law enforcement, media outlets, and advocacy groups, urging them to take another look at Kelsey’s disappearance.
Sarah has also kept Kelsey’s belongings carefully preserved, holding onto the hope that her daughter might still be found.
One of the biggest frustrations for the family is the lack of progress in the investigation.
They believe Kelsey’s case was mishandled from the start.
Also, Kesha’s family believes her disappearance is directly tied to her role as a key witness in the case against her pimp.
According to Sarah Collins the prosecutors "used her, and threw her away".
They’ve urged anyone with even the smallest clue to come forward, no matter how insignificant it might seem.
But many questions remain unanswered.
Was Kelsey targeted because of her testimony?
Did someone harm her to silence her?
Or did she disappear for another reason?
These questions weigh heavily on her family, who just want to know what happened to their daughter and sister.
For now, Kelsey’s case remains open.
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