...the girl’s school reported her missing Dec. 4 after she had gotten into a black Ford Taurus with three other people.
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She went willingly? Or was she forced? Sounds like she was forced if the school then reported her as missing. Is it too much to ask for a properly written news article?
My guess is that she knew one of the younger members, probably thought of him as a boyfriend. Getting into the car then, especially if she wanted to drink or smoke “stuff” with him was probably OK from her point of view. I’ve worked with a couple of Foster teens who were in sexually abusive situations, either prostituted or with multiple partners, that started with meeting up with a boyfriend.