Twenty-nine years ago this month, a Wisconsin 13-year-old’s life changed forever when a teacher’s aide she had known for years tricked her into taking a one-on-one trip.
The purported trip turned into a three-month kidnapping, leaving her family and small-town community terrorized and wondering if she’d ever return home safe.
Jessyca Mullenberg’s kidnapping took place on Sept. 16, 1995, when Steven Oliver, her one-time teacher’s aide-turned-creative writing instructor, kidnapped her under the guise of taking her on a trip to work on a writing project.
But the seeds of Oliver’s manipulation and abuse began years prior, according Jessyca, who was eventually rescued and has now become an advocate for sexual and physical abuse prevention.
Jessyca, who is now married with the surname Christianson, has said she hopes telling her story can help prevent other children from being similarly exploited and abused.
Joey McLeister/Star Tribune/Getty
A Suspicious Mentor
Oliver had known Jessyca for years prior to the …