On May 15, 2005, three members of the Groene-Mckenzie family were bludgeoned to death and eight-year-old Shasta and nine-year-old Dylan were kidnapped. They were held captive at a remote Montana camp, chained, repeatedly tortured, sexually assaulted, and documented by their abductor. Dylan was shot and his remains burned; Shasta was later recognized via an Amber Alert and rescued. The abductor was a convicted child molester. After rescue, Shasta endured further abuse in a treatment program, experienced family instability, and carried unrelenting guilt that complicated recovery and led to ongoing poor decisions.
When we hear about children who've survived brutal abductions, we expect that once they're back with their loving family and have had some therapy, they'll be okay. However, it's not that simple. The story of Shasta Groene in Gregg Olsen's book, Out of the Woods, is tough to read. Molested and exploited by multiple people, she seemed to have caught few breaks. Her first post-abduction treatment program was itself abusive, and her father was a thief.
It was the night of May 15, 2005, when three members of the Groene-Mckenzie family were bludgeoned to death in their home in Idaho, and Shasta and Dylan were kidnapped. She was eight and her brother was nine. They seemed to have just vanished. Seven weeks went by. Then, thanks to the Amber Alert program, people recognized Shasta in a restaurant and called the police. Her abductor was arrested, and Shasta was rescued.
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