One day in 2011, flight attendant Shelia Federick was working on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco. She had been flying with the airline for ten years. On this day, she noticed something unusual in the cabin and acted on her instincts.
Shelia saw a disheveled girl who looked to be around the age of 14 or 15. She had greasy blonde hair and visible bruises and her demeanor was unhappy. The girl was sitting next to an older well-dressed man and Shelia thought it was odd.
Shelia described the teenager as someone who 'looked like she had been through pure hell'. She noted that they were seated in row ten. The contrast between the two passengers had set alarm bells in Shelia's head.
"Something in the back of my mind said something is not right. He was well dressed, that's what kind of got me because why is he well dressed and she is looking disheveled and out of sorts." "The bruises on her, her demeanor, her appearance, the way she would not answer me, the way she would always look at him - I knew something was just not right.
" -Shelia, flight attendant What happened next? Shelia tried to start a conversation with the girl, but the man seemed defensive and wouldn't let her speak to her. The girl would not engage in conversation and would not make eye contact with her. Shelia thought about it and wrote a note to the girl asking if she needed help.
She put her phone number and left the note on the lavatory mirror with a pen placed on the side. She locked the lav.