Almost Gone

Twenty-Five Days and One Chance to Save Our Daughter

By: John Baldwin, Mackenzie Baldwin, Stephanie Baldwin - introduction

Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross, Cassandra Campbell, Kirby Heyborne

The harrowing true story of a high-school senior, her parents, her secret online relationship with a handsome, manipulative stranger, and her well-laid plan to leave home and country to marry a man in Kosovo she thought she loved.

The Baldwins were a strong, tight-knit family living in Texas. When their seventeen-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, met Aadam in an online chat room, she fell for his good looks, his charm, and his respectful conversation. He lived in Kosovo, and they began talking regularly. The more attached Mackenzie became to Aadam, the more detached she became from her family.

Mackenzie’s parents, John and Stephanie Baldwin, had no clue there was a man behind their daughter’s sudden change in personality, her surprising interest in Islam, and her withdrawal from friends and family. When Mackenzie’s attachment to Aadam increased and they became “engaged,” Mackenzie started making plans to fly secretly to Kosovo and marry Aadam.

But twenty-five days before Mackenzie was scheduled to leave the country, three friends in whom Mackenzie had confided told Mackenzie’s father. Through the help of their pastor, John Baldwin contacted the FBI and asked for help. The FBI did not believe Aadam was involved with ISIS or that he was trying to radicalize her, but they were concerned about Aadam’s intentions, as that part of Kosovo was known for sex-trafficking and money scams. With just 72 hours left before Mackenzie’s planned departure, three FBI agents confronted her and urged her to stay.

Told from the viewpoint of both father and daughter, Almost Gone allows us to walk with this family through Mackenzie’s network of lies and deceit and John and Stephanie’s escalating bewilderment and alarm. More than a cautionary tale, this is the story of unconditional parental love and unwavering faith, and how God helped a family save their daughter from a relationship that jeopardized not only her happiness, but also her safety.

Great story. Heavy on religious beliefs!

Great story and I am glad things turned out well for this family. It concentrates heavily on Christian belief’s and kinda paints Islam in a bad way. Other than that it was a very interesting book and I will definitely listen to it again in the future.

Great Read

Great book. Well written loving story for not only how to protect your kids from the internet but also how to just love your kids where they are right now.

amazing book

Thank you so much Mack and Parents, for writing this book. As a mother of 3, my heart hurt while I listened to your struggles. It opens your eyes to see , what all parents should talk to our kids about. Thank you so much for writing this book Mack. May GOD bless you and your family.
from New Orleans, La.

Interesting story but the audio quality is not great

I was intrigued by the story, but felt the recording was very choppy. It was almost as if they spliced all of the sentences together especially on the dads parts

Must read for parents of teen girls

This book makes you realize that even good, smart Christian girls can be multiplied into dangerous situations even in small town America.