April 26, 2025 • 21 mins
14-year-old Enci “Aubrey” Wu vanished in January 2025, leaving a Pennsylvania community desperate for answers. Three months later, she was found — safe — hundreds of miles from home. This episode unpacks her disappearance, the digital movement that followed, and the legal questions still unfolding. A rare case with a hopeful ending — and a hard look at the power and pitfalls of social media.
***
Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate
Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay
***
Get in Touch!:
methodandmadnesspod@gmail.com
CONNECT:
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MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
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Thank you for listening!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support.
***
Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate
Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay
***
Get in Touch!:
methodandmadnesspod@gmail.com
CONNECT:
DIVE INTO MORE:
MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
***
All sources are listed on the website, under each episode description.
MethodandMadnessPodcast.com
Thank you for listening!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/method-madness--6241524/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This episode contained sensitive information that may be disturbing to some.
Please listen with care. Welcome to method of Madness. This
is found An C. Aubrey Wu. I'm your host Dawn.
(00:28):
On January eleventh, twenty twenty five, fourteen year old A. C.
Aubrey Wu was last seen near a wah wah in
Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. According to police, she'd been asking strangers
for money or for a ride. It was the last
confirmed sighting of Aubrey, who had quietly snuck out of
her home the night before. In the weeks and months
(00:52):
that followed her disappearance gripped the community of Palmer Township
and far beyond. Aubrey's mother, Jade and her stepfather, John,
launched a Facebook page called Aubrey's Not Found. Thousands joined.
They tuned in regularly for live updates streamed from the
couple's home. Jade and John encouraged their growing following to
(01:16):
share missing persons flyers, attend protests outside the Northampton County
Courthouse and donate to a gofund me. There was also
an organized effort via givenkind dot com for those interested
in donating door dash gift cards or delivering meals to
the family. Every so often a tip would come in,
(01:38):
someone thinking they'd spotted Aubrey, but none of them led
to answers, and as each day passed, more and more
people were left wondering where was this teenage girl, was
she safe, and when or if she'd be found. Strangers
who'd never met Aubrey or her family left heartfelt comments
(01:59):
on the Facebook page, messages of support, prayers and notes
written directly to Aubrey just in case she was out
there reading. Candles were lit, flyers were passed around. Aubrey's
face began to circulate, not just across the state, but
across the country. Sooner story was being covered by Nancy
(02:22):
Grace than Dateline. The attention was massive, but not without division.
Some stood firmly behind John and Jade, no questions asked.
Others began Terria's eyebrows. Why were there more Facebook lives
than organized searches? Was something else going on? What started
(02:44):
as Aubrey's Army became Aubrey's Advocates, perhaps a rebrand. After
John was charged with three counts of harassment, allegedly targeted
at four adults from different families. He was also warned
multiple times by lawn enforcement to stop his actions as
it was creating safety concerns for others. His preliminary hearing
(03:07):
was in mid April. Throughout the ordeal, John and Jade
were outspoken, often criticizing law enforcement for what they saw
as in action, but according to Detectives Strong, the lead
investigator on the case, nothing could be further from the truth.
He told me the Palmer Police Department was doing everything
(03:27):
they could and that they were working in partnership with
the FBI and Homeland Security. Then came April fifteenth, twenty
twenty five, a new development, and this time it didn't
come from a Facebook live stream. It came from the
District Attorney of Northampton County, Stephen Barrada, who held a
(03:48):
press conference. This is a first for Method and Madness,
a moment I hope we get to repeat often a
rare and happy update to a story we've covered and see.
Aubrey WU has been found and without injury. This is
(04:12):
still an open and ongoing investigation, but have had many
listeners reach out with their concern for Aubrey. The fourteen
year old was located in Jasper, Georgia. On April fifteenth,
twenty twenty five. At the time, it was announced that
she was staying with Child Protective Services down in Georgia
and then would be transferred to Northampton County in Pennsylvania.
(04:36):
She'd then be under the care of Children and Youth
Services to determine if she should return to home or
if the juvenile court needs to get involved. Currently, there's
a multi state human trafficking investigation going on, which investigators
in Georgia initiated. But how did we get here. The
(04:57):
circumstances surrounding who Aubrey was staying within Georgia and how
she got there are still being sorted out. I got
in touch with the man who made the call the
tip that finally mattered. I've also contacted Detective Strong again
of the Palmer Police Department, and he confirms the following
information is accurate. Mitch Taylor lives in Walton County, Georgia.
(05:21):
He first noticed something was off during the weekend of
April twelfth, twenty twenty five, when he saw his close
friend Hunter posting on social media with a woman who,
according to her profile, was twenty years old. Mitch learned
that a Hunter had met the woman online. She said
she needed a place to stay, and Hunter's mom had
(05:42):
offered her a room in their home. But something about
the situation didn't sit right with Mitch. He was worried,
worried that his friend might be getting scammed or pulled
into something unsafe with this new woman he was dating.
So Mitch met with Hunter in person until told him
something's off about this whole situation. Hunter took the warning seriously.
(06:07):
That night, instead of returning home, he called his mom
and shared his concerns. His mother, in turn told the
young woman she couldn't stay at the house that night
and paid for a hotel room instead. With the woman
out of the house, Mitch figured that was the end
of it, but almost immediately she started posting online again,
(06:28):
now with another man, and the situation felt even stranger.
That's when Mitch and his girlfriend Brie decided to dig
a little deeper. They took a screenshot from one of
the women's social media videos and ran a reverse image search.
What they found stopped some cold. The woman wasn't twenty
(06:50):
years old, she was fourteen. Her name was Ance Aubrey Wu,
a missing child from Pennsylvania, gone since January. Missing persons
flyers and national news articles popped up, and Mitch and
Bree weren't even sure this was Hunter's friend. She'd changed
her appearance, her long dark hair now blonde. Mitch told
(07:15):
me it felt like the ground shifted beneath him. He
first reached out to Aubrey's family through the Aubrey's Not
Found Facebook group. From there, he was connected with Pennsylvania
authorities and the FBI. Thanks to that chain of communication,
Aubrey was located. She is now safe and in the
care of professionals in Pennsylvania who are helping her begin
(07:38):
the next steps. Following the recovery of Aubrey, two arrests
were made in Pickens County, Georgia. Twenty three year old
Trevor Powell was arrested on April fifteenth and charged with
interference with child custody. The charges were later changed to
contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a mind. Twenty
(08:01):
one year old William Ferguson was also arrested and charged
with interference of child custody, but he may have since
been released as his inmate. Information is no longer posted
on the Sheriff's office website regarding the charges against Trevor Powell.
In Georgia, it's a crime to knowingly and wilfully encourage
(08:22):
or help a miner do anything illegal or harmful, whether
it's committing a crime, skipping school, running away, or getting
involved in violence. That includes helping a miner commit a
crime or act that could get them labeled as needing
state intervention, doing something or failing to do something that
(08:43):
leads a child to be considered neglected or dependent, getting
a miner involved in violent felonies or giving them weapons
or dangerous items to help them do it, and even
involving a miner in a smash and grab burglary. There
are some protections for people like service providers like shelters
(09:03):
or nonprofits, as long as they follow specific rules about
notifying the child's guardians or child services. Hunter has not
been arrested, and, according to Mitch, is also a victim
in that he believed Aubrey was twenty years old, homeless,
and attempting to get US citizenship. How Aubrey ended up
(09:33):
in Georgia remains unclear. Where she was during the three
months before that is also unknown, though Mitch informed me
that Aubrey took a Greyhound bus from Colorado to Georgia
in early April, and there's only speculation as to why
she left her Palmer Township home to begin with. But
(09:53):
what matters most is this, a missing child is no
longer missing. She's now safe, and I wish her nothing
but the best. This case has left a path of
destruction in its weak it stands as a reminder of
what social media can do, the good and the bad.
On one hand, it helped raise awareness, rallied a community,
(10:17):
and gave a family a platform. On the other, it
exposed just how dangerous online speculation can be. Anonymity breeds boldness,
people accused, speculated, and doxed, all from behind a screen.
Somewhere along the way, the focus shifted for many. The
(10:39):
mission was always about Aubrey, finding her, protecting her, bringing
her home. For others, it became something else Entirely. Before
we dive deeper into the darker elements of this case,
I want to revisit the key events from the weekend
Aubrey went Missing. A quick timeline to help anchor every
(11:00):
thing we've just talked about. If you listened to the
original episode Missing and see Aubrey WU, you may remember
the following It was just after eight pm on Friday,
January tenth, twenty twenty five, when Jade and her husband
John heard an unexpected knock at the door of their
Palmer Township home in Pennsylvania. Standing on the other side
(11:24):
were officers from the Palmer Police Department, a visit that
took the couple completely by surprise. The officers explained they'd
been dispatched for a welfare check on Jade's daughter, Aubrey.
The call had come from a woman named Alyssa in Callplay, Pennsylvania.
Her son, a close friend of Aubrey's, had grown concerned.
(11:47):
He told his mother he hadn't heard from her in
over twenty four hours, which was unusual. They usually talked
every single day, but Jade and John were confused. As
far as they knew, all Ebry was home upstairs in
her bedroom, but when Jade went to check, she found
the room empty. Aubrey was gone. That moment marked the
(12:10):
beginning of a missing person's investigation. Later, they would learn
that Aubrey had connected with an older woman in Whitehall
Township that same night. Her name is Fay. It's still
unclear how they met, but Fay offered Aubrey a place
to sleep This only came to light the following day.
(12:31):
On Saturday, Jade and John got in touch with Aubrey's friend,
the same boy from call Play who'd raised the alarm.
He told them something shocking. He'd just seen Aubrey. She
had shown up at his house accompanied by an older woman,
but they didn't stay. After a brief visit, they left together.
He did confirm that Aubrey had spent Friday night at
(12:54):
Fay's home in Whitehall. Jade and John did not know Fay,
and while the details of the connection remains a mystery,
police have spoken to Faye extensively ten interviews in total.
She's been cooperative throughout the investigation. That Saturday night, Aubrey
(13:14):
was seen for the last time. Security footage captured her
at a wah Wah convenience store in Whitehall Township. After that,
she vanished. During the three months Aubrey was missing, emotions
ran high, and nowhere was that more evident than in
the Facebook group run by her mother Jade and stepfather John.
(13:35):
Much of the attention focused on Fay, with tons of
speculation and accusations that she'd kidnapped Aubrey. There was also
a lot of focus on the Colplay family, particularly the
boy who had first raised the alarm. Conversations between Aubrey's
parents and the boy were shared publicly on the group page.
(13:56):
In some posts, the family was referred to with harsh language,
even called ghouls by some. At one point, the family's
home address was shared publicly. The scrutiny didn't end there.
A phone conversation between Aubrey's stepfather and the boy caught
on speakerphone, was posted on tik tok and circulated widely.
(14:19):
It was a turbulent, deeply charged time for everyone involved. Then,
a week after Aubrey was found, on April twenty third,
the Coplay family made a rare public statement. They posted
on a Reddit thread dedicated to Aubrey's case, a subreddit
titled en see Aubrey WU with their permission, I'm going
(14:42):
to share that message with you now. The Coplay family
stated that throughout the three months Aubrey was missing, they
were repeatedly targeted by Aubrey's parents online, accused of withholding information, harassed,
and even doxed. According to them, personal information such as
their home address and their son's school was shared by
(15:05):
members of the Facebook group, and the boy was labeled
with serious damaging terms. The family says that it all
began on Friday, January tenth, when their son grew concerned
after not hearing from Aubrey for nearly two days, something
out of the ordinary for them. Acting on his concern,
his mother, Alissa, called in a welfare check. They stressed
(15:29):
that prior to that moment, their son was the only
member of the family who'd ever met Aubrey in person.
The following day, they said, Aubrey herself reached out to
their son and asked to meet. She showed up near
their home and asked if she could stay the night.
They say they declined, and said urging her to contact
the police and seek help through official channels. They maintained
(15:53):
that no one in their family harmed or threatened her
during the encounter. They also added that they fully co
operated with law enforcement, providing all the information they had. However,
as the case gained attention online, things escalated. They claim
Aubrey's stepfather, John, began contacting their son excessively, including during
(16:15):
school hours and late at night, and that police eventually
had to step in and ask him to stop. They
also alleged that John made false and harmful statements about
their son on social media, including accusations of physical harm,
and that private conversations between the two teens were made public.
In an attempt to support those claims, the family described
(16:39):
a wave of online harassment that followed threats of protests
in their neighborhood, efforts to obtain and circulate their son's
yearbook photo, and even people showing up at their home.
They said this behavior didn't help in finding Aubrey, They
only put their family, especially their son, at risk. In
(17:01):
their words, they hope those involved in the online speculation
have learned a lesson from what unfolded, and emphasized that
law enforcement had thoroughly investigated their role and found no
wrongdoing this case. The story of Anci Aubrey Wu is
a rare one, a missing child found safe, a mystery
(17:24):
still unfolding, But beyond that, it's also a cautionary tale
about how we engage online and how our need for
answers can sometimes blur into something harmful. Social media gave
Aubrey's story reach, it gave her family a voice, and
it brought strangers together and shared concern, but it also
(17:44):
became a breeding ground for rumor outrage and digital vigilanteism.
Somewhere along the way, lines were crossed, people were hurt.
It's important to remember that behind every case, behind every name,
every fly wher, every live stream, there are real people, families, friends,
(18:05):
kids just trying to grow up. And when we rush
to conclusions or turn tragedy into entertainment, we risk compounding
the damage that's already been done. So if you take
one thing from this episode, let it be this. Be
thoughtful with what you share, be kind and how you engage,
and when someone goes missing, focus on the mission, not
(18:28):
the drama. An attorney has been retained for Ency Aubrey
wu Jenna M Flysar, who issued a statement that every
child deserves someone in their corner and that she's here
to make sure Aubrey's voice is never lost in the process.
When we talk about vulnerable kids, it's crucial to realize
(18:48):
exploitation can show up in a lot of different ways,
and sometimes it's not just one form at a time.
Some children are sexually exploited, whether it's for someone else
as profit or for the creation of harmful material. Others
are forced to work under brutal conditions in fields, factories,
(19:09):
mines or private homes just to survive. There are kids
pushed onto the streets to beg or made to commit
small crimes like theft. In conflict zones, children can be
pulled into fighting, exploited sexually, or kept in servitude. And sadly,
child marriage is still a real issue, where young girls
(19:32):
are married off for money or status. There is even
a legal adoption where children are trafficked through lies or coercion,
only to be exploited later. The hard truth is a
child might face more than one of these at the
same time. A kid who's begging on the streets might
also be suffering abuse we can't see. It's a lot
(19:55):
to sit with, but it matters. The more we know
about what exploitation really looks like, the more we can
be part of protecting kids who need it most. If
you'd like to support families of missing children, consider donating
to organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
or get involved with local search and support efforts in
(20:17):
your community. And most of all, let's hope that more
stories like Aubrey's end with those two simple words found safe.
Thank you to Detective Strong, and thank you to the
coplay family, and to Mitch Taylor for allowing me to
share their stories here, and thank you so much for listening.
(20:42):
Method and Madness is a completely independent podcast, written, produced
and hosted by me. To find out more about the show,
including access to all episodes, visit Method and Madness podcast
dot com. To support the show, consider leaving a rating
or a review. To connect on Instagram at Method and
(21:05):
Madness Pod, and you can find me on TikTok and
Facebook as well to chat, suggest a case, or discuss
the episode. Reach out to me at Method madnesspodat gmail
dot com. That's it for this week. Until next time,
take care of yourself. You matter. For crisis support, text
hello to seven four one seven four one
This episode contained sensitive information that may be disturbing to some.
Please listen with care. Welcome to method of Madness. This
is found An C. Aubrey Wu. I'm your host Dawn.
(00:28):
On January eleventh, twenty twenty five, fourteen year old A. C.
Aubrey Wu was last seen near a wah wah in
Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. According to police, she'd been asking strangers
for money or for a ride. It was the last
confirmed sighting of Aubrey, who had quietly snuck out of
her home the night before. In the weeks and months
(00:52):
that followed her disappearance gripped the community of Palmer Township
and far beyond. Aubrey's mother, Jade and her stepfather, John,
launched a Facebook page called Aubrey's Not Found. Thousands joined.
They tuned in regularly for live updates streamed from the
couple's home. Jade and John encouraged their growing following to
(01:16):
share missing persons flyers, attend protests outside the Northampton County
Courthouse and donate to a gofund me. There was also
an organized effort via givenkind dot com for those interested
in donating door dash gift cards or delivering meals to
the family. Every so often a tip would come in,
(01:38):
someone thinking they'd spotted Aubrey, but none of them led
to answers, and as each day passed, more and more
people were left wondering where was this teenage girl, was
she safe, and when or if she'd be found. Strangers
who'd never met Aubrey or her family left heartfelt comments
(01:59):
on the Facebook page, messages of support, prayers and notes
written directly to Aubrey just in case she was out
there reading. Candles were lit, flyers were passed around. Aubrey's
face began to circulate, not just across the state, but
across the country. Sooner story was being covered by Nancy
(02:22):
Grace than Dateline. The attention was massive, but not without division.
Some stood firmly behind John and Jade, no questions asked.
Others began Terria's eyebrows. Why were there more Facebook lives
than organized searches? Was something else going on? What started
(02:44):
as Aubrey's Army became Aubrey's Advocates, perhaps a rebrand. After
John was charged with three counts of harassment, allegedly targeted
at four adults from different families. He was also warned
multiple times by lawn enforcement to stop his actions as
it was creating safety concerns for others. His preliminary hearing
(03:07):
was in mid April. Throughout the ordeal, John and Jade
were outspoken, often criticizing law enforcement for what they saw
as in action, but according to Detectives Strong, the lead
investigator on the case, nothing could be further from the truth.
He told me the Palmer Police Department was doing everything
(03:27):
they could and that they were working in partnership with
the FBI and Homeland Security. Then came April fifteenth, twenty
twenty five, a new development, and this time it didn't
come from a Facebook live stream. It came from the
District Attorney of Northampton County, Stephen Barrada, who held a
(03:48):
press conference. This is a first for Method and Madness,
a moment I hope we get to repeat often a
rare and happy update to a story we've covered and see.
Aubrey WU has been found and without injury. This is
(04:12):
still an open and ongoing investigation, but have had many
listeners reach out with their concern for Aubrey. The fourteen
year old was located in Jasper, Georgia. On April fifteenth,
twenty twenty five. At the time, it was announced that
she was staying with Child Protective Services down in Georgia
and then would be transferred to Northampton County in Pennsylvania.
(04:36):
She'd then be under the care of Children and Youth
Services to determine if she should return to home or
if the juvenile court needs to get involved. Currently, there's
a multi state human trafficking investigation going on, which investigators
in Georgia initiated. But how did we get here. The
(04:57):
circumstances surrounding who Aubrey was staying within Georgia and how
she got there are still being sorted out. I got
in touch with the man who made the call the
tip that finally mattered. I've also contacted Detective Strong again
of the Palmer Police Department, and he confirms the following
information is accurate. Mitch Taylor lives in Walton County, Georgia.
(05:21):
He first noticed something was off during the weekend of
April twelfth, twenty twenty five, when he saw his close
friend Hunter posting on social media with a woman who,
according to her profile, was twenty years old. Mitch learned
that a Hunter had met the woman online. She said
she needed a place to stay, and Hunter's mom had
(05:42):
offered her a room in their home. But something about
the situation didn't sit right with Mitch. He was worried,
worried that his friend might be getting scammed or pulled
into something unsafe with this new woman he was dating.
So Mitch met with Hunter in person until told him
something's off about this whole situation. Hunter took the warning seriously.
(06:07):
That night, instead of returning home, he called his mom
and shared his concerns. His mother, in turn told the
young woman she couldn't stay at the house that night
and paid for a hotel room instead. With the woman
out of the house, Mitch figured that was the end
of it, but almost immediately she started posting online again,
(06:28):
now with another man, and the situation felt even stranger.
That's when Mitch and his girlfriend Brie decided to dig
a little deeper. They took a screenshot from one of
the women's social media videos and ran a reverse image search.
What they found stopped some cold. The woman wasn't twenty
(06:50):
years old, she was fourteen. Her name was Ance Aubrey Wu,
a missing child from Pennsylvania, gone since January. Missing persons
flyers and national news articles popped up, and Mitch and
Bree weren't even sure this was Hunter's friend. She'd changed
her appearance, her long dark hair now blonde. Mitch told
(07:15):
me it felt like the ground shifted beneath him. He
first reached out to Aubrey's family through the Aubrey's Not
Found Facebook group. From there, he was connected with Pennsylvania
authorities and the FBI. Thanks to that chain of communication,
Aubrey was located. She is now safe and in the
care of professionals in Pennsylvania who are helping her begin
(07:38):
the next steps. Following the recovery of Aubrey, two arrests
were made in Pickens County, Georgia. Twenty three year old
Trevor Powell was arrested on April fifteenth and charged with
interference with child custody. The charges were later changed to
contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a mind. Twenty
(08:01):
one year old William Ferguson was also arrested and charged
with interference of child custody, but he may have since
been released as his inmate. Information is no longer posted
on the Sheriff's office website regarding the charges against Trevor Powell.
In Georgia, it's a crime to knowingly and wilfully encourage
(08:22):
or help a miner do anything illegal or harmful, whether
it's committing a crime, skipping school, running away, or getting
involved in violence. That includes helping a miner commit a
crime or act that could get them labeled as needing
state intervention, doing something or failing to do something that
(08:43):
leads a child to be considered neglected or dependent, getting
a miner involved in violent felonies or giving them weapons
or dangerous items to help them do it, and even
involving a miner in a smash and grab burglary. There
are some protections for people like service providers like shelters
(09:03):
or nonprofits, as long as they follow specific rules about
notifying the child's guardians or child services. Hunter has not
been arrested, and, according to Mitch, is also a victim
in that he believed Aubrey was twenty years old, homeless,
and attempting to get US citizenship. How Aubrey ended up
(09:33):
in Georgia remains unclear. Where she was during the three
months before that is also unknown, though Mitch informed me
that Aubrey took a Greyhound bus from Colorado to Georgia
in early April, and there's only speculation as to why
she left her Palmer Township home to begin with. But
(09:53):
what matters most is this, a missing child is no
longer missing. She's now safe, and I wish her nothing
but the best. This case has left a path of
destruction in its weak it stands as a reminder of
what social media can do, the good and the bad.
On one hand, it helped raise awareness, rallied a community,
(10:17):
and gave a family a platform. On the other, it
exposed just how dangerous online speculation can be. Anonymity breeds boldness,
people accused, speculated, and doxed, all from behind a screen.
Somewhere along the way, the focus shifted for many. The
(10:39):
mission was always about Aubrey, finding her, protecting her, bringing
her home. For others, it became something else Entirely. Before
we dive deeper into the darker elements of this case,
I want to revisit the key events from the weekend
Aubrey went Missing. A quick timeline to help anchor every
(11:00):
thing we've just talked about. If you listened to the
original episode Missing and see Aubrey WU, you may remember
the following It was just after eight pm on Friday,
January tenth, twenty twenty five, when Jade and her husband
John heard an unexpected knock at the door of their
Palmer Township home in Pennsylvania. Standing on the other side
(11:24):
were officers from the Palmer Police Department, a visit that
took the couple completely by surprise. The officers explained they'd
been dispatched for a welfare check on Jade's daughter, Aubrey.
The call had come from a woman named Alyssa in Callplay, Pennsylvania.
Her son, a close friend of Aubrey's, had grown concerned.
(11:47):
He told his mother he hadn't heard from her in
over twenty four hours, which was unusual. They usually talked
every single day, but Jade and John were confused. As
far as they knew, all Ebry was home upstairs in
her bedroom, but when Jade went to check, she found
the room empty. Aubrey was gone. That moment marked the
(12:10):
beginning of a missing person's investigation. Later, they would learn
that Aubrey had connected with an older woman in Whitehall
Township that same night. Her name is Fay. It's still
unclear how they met, but Fay offered Aubrey a place
to sleep This only came to light the following day.
(12:31):
On Saturday, Jade and John got in touch with Aubrey's friend,
the same boy from call Play who'd raised the alarm.
He told them something shocking. He'd just seen Aubrey. She
had shown up at his house accompanied by an older woman,
but they didn't stay. After a brief visit, they left together.
He did confirm that Aubrey had spent Friday night at
(12:54):
Fay's home in Whitehall. Jade and John did not know Fay,
and while the details of the connection remains a mystery,
police have spoken to Faye extensively ten interviews in total.
She's been cooperative throughout the investigation. That Saturday night, Aubrey
(13:14):
was seen for the last time. Security footage captured her
at a wah Wah convenience store in Whitehall Township. After that,
she vanished. During the three months Aubrey was missing, emotions
ran high, and nowhere was that more evident than in
the Facebook group run by her mother Jade and stepfather John.
(13:35):
Much of the attention focused on Fay, with tons of
speculation and accusations that she'd kidnapped Aubrey. There was also
a lot of focus on the Colplay family, particularly the
boy who had first raised the alarm. Conversations between Aubrey's
parents and the boy were shared publicly on the group page.
(13:56):
In some posts, the family was referred to with harsh language,
even called ghouls by some. At one point, the family's
home address was shared publicly. The scrutiny didn't end there.
A phone conversation between Aubrey's stepfather and the boy caught
on speakerphone, was posted on tik tok and circulated widely.
(14:19):
It was a turbulent, deeply charged time for everyone involved. Then,
a week after Aubrey was found, on April twenty third,
the Coplay family made a rare public statement. They posted
on a Reddit thread dedicated to Aubrey's case, a subreddit
titled en see Aubrey WU with their permission, I'm going
(14:42):
to share that message with you now. The Coplay family
stated that throughout the three months Aubrey was missing, they
were repeatedly targeted by Aubrey's parents online, accused of withholding information, harassed,
and even doxed. According to them, personal information such as
their home address and their son's school was shared by
(15:05):
members of the Facebook group, and the boy was labeled
with serious damaging terms. The family says that it all
began on Friday, January tenth, when their son grew concerned
after not hearing from Aubrey for nearly two days, something
out of the ordinary for them. Acting on his concern,
his mother, Alissa, called in a welfare check. They stressed
(15:29):
that prior to that moment, their son was the only
member of the family who'd ever met Aubrey in person.
The following day, they said, Aubrey herself reached out to
their son and asked to meet. She showed up near
their home and asked if she could stay the night.
They say they declined, and said urging her to contact
the police and seek help through official channels. They maintained
(15:53):
that no one in their family harmed or threatened her
during the encounter. They also added that they fully co
operated with law enforcement, providing all the information they had. However,
as the case gained attention online, things escalated. They claim
Aubrey's stepfather, John, began contacting their son excessively, including during
(16:15):
school hours and late at night, and that police eventually
had to step in and ask him to stop. They
also alleged that John made false and harmful statements about
their son on social media, including accusations of physical harm,
and that private conversations between the two teens were made public.
In an attempt to support those claims, the family described
(16:39):
a wave of online harassment that followed threats of protests
in their neighborhood, efforts to obtain and circulate their son's
yearbook photo, and even people showing up at their home.
They said this behavior didn't help in finding Aubrey, They
only put their family, especially their son, at risk. In
(17:01):
their words, they hope those involved in the online speculation
have learned a lesson from what unfolded, and emphasized that
law enforcement had thoroughly investigated their role and found no
wrongdoing this case. The story of Anci Aubrey Wu is
a rare one, a missing child found safe, a mystery
(17:24):
still unfolding, But beyond that, it's also a cautionary tale
about how we engage online and how our need for
answers can sometimes blur into something harmful. Social media gave
Aubrey's story reach, it gave her family a voice, and
it brought strangers together and shared concern, but it also
(17:44):
became a breeding ground for rumor outrage and digital vigilanteism.
Somewhere along the way, lines were crossed, people were hurt.
It's important to remember that behind every case, behind every name,
every fly wher, every live stream, there are real people, families, friends,
(18:05):
kids just trying to grow up. And when we rush
to conclusions or turn tragedy into entertainment, we risk compounding
the damage that's already been done. So if you take
one thing from this episode, let it be this. Be
thoughtful with what you share, be kind and how you engage,
and when someone goes missing, focus on the mission, not
(18:28):
the drama. An attorney has been retained for Ency Aubrey
wu Jenna M Flysar, who issued a statement that every
child deserves someone in their corner and that she's here
to make sure Aubrey's voice is never lost in the process.
When we talk about vulnerable kids, it's crucial to realize
(18:48):
exploitation can show up in a lot of different ways,
and sometimes it's not just one form at a time.
Some children are sexually exploited, whether it's for someone else
as profit or for the creation of harmful material. Others
are forced to work under brutal conditions in fields, factories,
(19:09):
mines or private homes just to survive. There are kids
pushed onto the streets to beg or made to commit
small crimes like theft. In conflict zones, children can be
pulled into fighting, exploited sexually, or kept in servitude. And sadly,
child marriage is still a real issue, where young girls
(19:32):
are married off for money or status. There is even
a legal adoption where children are trafficked through lies or coercion,
only to be exploited later. The hard truth is a
child might face more than one of these at the
same time. A kid who's begging on the streets might
also be suffering abuse we can't see. It's a lot
(19:55):
to sit with, but it matters. The more we know
about what exploitation really looks like, the more we can
be part of protecting kids who need it most. If
you'd like to support families of missing children, consider donating
to organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
or get involved with local search and support efforts in
(20:17):
your community. And most of all, let's hope that more
stories like Aubrey's end with those two simple words found safe.
Thank you to Detective Strong, and thank you to the
coplay family, and to Mitch Taylor for allowing me to
share their stories here, and thank you so much for listening.
(20:42):
Method and Madness is a completely independent podcast, written, produced
and hosted by me. To find out more about the show,
including access to all episodes, visit Method and Madness podcast
dot com. To support the show, consider leaving a rating
or a review. To connect on Instagram at Method and
(21:05):
Madness Pod, and you can find me on TikTok and
Facebook as well to chat, suggest a case, or discuss
the episode. Reach out to me at Method madnesspodat gmail
dot com. That's it for this week. Until next time,
take care of yourself. You matter. For crisis support, text
hello to seven four one seven four one
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