Woman abducted by internet predator at 13 speaks about child exploitation

The man Alicia Kozakiewicz thought was her best friend, confidante and mentor became her captor in 2002, when she was just 13.

Kozakiewicz was abducted outside her Pittsburgh home by a Scott Tyree, a 38-year-old man she met in an Internet chat room. From there, she was held in the basement of the man's Washington, D.C., townhouse, where he chained her neck and sexually assaulted her for several days.

“When you're in the hands of a monster, fear may be the only emotion you can feel,” Kozakiewicz told a crowd of 200 people gathered for the Preventing Abuse Conference Friday at the Hotel Kirkwood.

Kozakiewicz was rescued by FBI agents after someone saw a video Tyree posted on the Internet showing the abuse. Agents used the captor's screen name to trace him to his townhouse, where they burst in and saved the teenager.

Kozakiewicz later faced a backlash from some in her community who called her father a pervert – even though he had nothing to do with the abduction – and called her a “cyberslut” on a local talk show. She lost chunks of memory and faced panic attacks when someone would come to the door of their house, where she was now homeschooled by her mother.

Kozakiewicz, now a college graduate applying to graduate schools, travels around the country telling her story to help other children. One of her key lessons is about Internet safety.

Tyree lured Kozakiewicz online, providing support and convincing her to ignore friends and family. “I was a skinny, awkward girl with braces,” she said. “My special, secret friend always saw things my way.”

Tyree was convicted in 2003 to the federal crime of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a minor and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Kozakiewicz insisted society stop using the phrase “child pornography” and call it what it is – crime scene images of child rape.

She promoted Alicia's Law, which seeks to provide financial support to special police units that fight internet crime against children.

The Preventing Abuse Conference, which includes talks by law enforcement officers, nonprofits, and other survivors, continues Saturday.