A young homeless woman has been reunited with her family after her mother luckily spotted her during a local news TV interview.
After three months away from her family, 25-year-old Alice Crawford was once again in the arms of her mom, Jill Rosenow. Earlier this year, Crawford had moved away from her family in Dickinson, North Dakota, to Denver - cutting off all contact in the process.
Then, in late October, mom Jill spotted her daughter in a 9 News segment about how the homeless were surviving the recent snowstorms. The devoted mother then flew to Colorado and walked the streets until she found her daughter.
You can see Alice in the news report below:In the news report, Alice tells journalist Marc Sallinger: "This is death weather. If you’re not prepared for this, you’re going to die."
It is then revealed that Alice gave her coat to a friend who she believed needed it more than her.
"I sleep behind the dumpster because you stay out of the wind and some of the snow doesn’t fall on you. We don’t even sleep at night. We have to wait until the sun is out to sleep because we’re too damn cold. You have to constantly move around," she added.
Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle, 44-year-old Rosenow revealed that her daughter has been struggling with substance abuse: "Alice has been in a downward spiral for years and she uses drugs to self-medicate."
Jill says her daughter "wasn’t thinking clearly" when she abandoned the apartment she had been sharing with a family member, without paying rent. Rosenow stated that her daughter had fled after fear of getting arrested on a warrant for a misdemeanor crime and that she would be sent to rehab.
Despite her daughter providing her a warning about the move, Jill was unable to successfully intervene.
Sadly, this was the second time Crawford had disappeared. Several years ago, Alice became homeless in Texas and only found discovered Rosenow hired a detective to track her down.
As a result of the stress and lack of sleep she endured, Rosenow developed tachycardia, a health condition that causes the heart to beat faster. On October 29, Rosenow received a final message from her daughter that read: "We are in Denver. We’re trying to work and stay warm."
Then, earlier this month, the devoted mother was sent a video of the 9News report. She told Yahoo Lifestyle that watching the news story was "one of those most heartbreaking moments of my life" and that she "cried seeing her that vulnerable on camera".
But after watching the footage, five family members from North Dakota, Washington state, and California, flew to Denver on November 12, determined to find Alice.
The family spoke with journalist Marc Sallinger for help, they learned that the interview took place across the street from Civic Center Park. "That was our starting point", Jill recalls.
After splitting up and searching the local area - including many locations homeless people were rumored to frequent. Then, last Thursday, Rosenow received a phone call from her step-sister, Theresa Brown, informing her that Alice had been found in Union Station.
Speaking to 9 News, Brown recalled: "We walked into the restroom thinking it was empty and the last stall was occupied, and as I was getting ready to go into my stall, we heard her voice."
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Rosenow revealed that the phonecall sent her into a panic and - combined with a broken GPS - she drove the wrong way down a one-way street. Fortunately, the family were able to bring Crawford to their hotel, where she was met by her mom.
"Finding Alice was amazing, but I didn’t allow myself to feel anything until she was in my arms and we were bawling like babies," Rosenow she said. "I said to her, 'Don’t you ever do this to me again.'"
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Alice had been living off stolen food and was sick with a viral illness and a bacterial infection on her hands. Her mom took her to the emergency room where she was hydrated and provided anti-nausea medication.
Alice is now back living with her family in Washington, and she will eventually enter rehab.