An Alabama woman who had been missing in Europe for two years after traveling there with a man she met online has been located, according to her family.
Nicole Denise Jackson, 24, left Alabama in 2018 to meet up with a man she had met online. She reportedly communicated with family members initially, although no one can confirm for sure that they’ve heard from her in about two years, since 2019.
Jackson’s sister Ela Vaughn and father Antonio Jackson announced last month that they would resume their search for her in earnest after their plans were initially derailed by the pandemic. Vaughn is a travel nurse who had been overseas for months treating COVID patients and felt like something was seriously wrong when she returned home.
Vaughn only recently discovered that Jackson, a Pleasant Grove High School graduate, had left with a man she’d met online. “When I say no one has talked to her, I mean no one,” Vaught told AL.com.
Jackson told family she was going to Germany in 2018 to study music and study at a university, and initially communicated with family members up until December of that year, when he Instagram account was deleted, which was unlike her.
Vaughn and other family members hired a private investigator last week and quickly tracked down the man Jackson had left with by hijacking her email account. From there it was discovered where the man works and lives, and Jackson voluntarily identified herself to authorities.
The State Department contacted the family on Friday, notifying them that Jackson had shown proof of identity. However, the family has not spoken to her.
“I’m more at peace. I’d still like to hear her voice,’’ Vaughn said. “I’m happy to know our prayers have been answers. She’s safe and she’s OK.”
Vaughn doesn’t understand why her sister severed ties with the family but hopes communication will resume.
As recent as July and August 2020, family members have received occasional messages from Jackson’s number, including “Happy Birthday” messages that provided a false sense of security. But when family members tried to call the number back it would not connect.
Vaughn previously expressed concerns about Jackson’s safety, saying she didn’t know if she was dead or alive and shared fears that her sister might have been a victim of human trafficking.
“I feel a whole lot better,” said Vaughn. “She will eventually reach out. I know she will.”
