That did not sound right
Reading the article, I could see she was in weekly contact with her folks, but did not ask that they come get her even though she posted messages about being unhappy.
I guess she had returned home at other times and perhaps her family had been through enough similar situations that they expected she would return on her own.
It sounds like she had a strong independent streak of sorts. Enough to leave home and fend for herself. Clearly she was looking for something that life on the road (at least away from home) was not offering.
But even the safest among us can fall afoul of the most dangerous sorts of people.
I’m reminded of the Sherlock Holmes story “The Disappearance of Lady Francis Carfax.”