Marathon County teen missing for 10 years found alive in Mexico

MARATHON COUNTY (WITI) -- Connie McCallister, a Marathon County teen missing for 10 years has been found alive in Mexico. McCallister's family says they just found out -- but police say they've known for years.

Police believe McCallister ran away with her boyfriend nearly 10 years ago, and that's why they didn't continue their investigation.

However, McCallister's family says she went missing after her boyfriend drugged her and took her to Mexico -- and because of a missionary, McCallister was found, and now, she just wants to come home.

McCallister's trip home with her three children could take days or months -- because she doesn't have a proper passport or ID, and her children need to go through DNA testing to make sure they are hers.

Partnering with a local church, McCallister's family and friends are putting together a fundraiser to try and raise money for all the needs her family will find.

"I asked what we could do. It's very costly, and then we all got together, and the rest is history. We just want to bring her home, and this is the best way we could think of, and that's why it's called 'Help Bring Connie Home,'" McCallister's aunt, Florence Volzka said.

They will be holding an all-you-can-eat soup dinner at Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens where anyone can bid on auction items or do a free will offering. It will be held on November 17th.

Since McCallister's children are not from the U.S., they will need to start from scratch when they arrive -- including learning English and things like getting vaccinations and dental exams.

At first, McCallister's family hoped she would be home by Christmas, but they are now hoping for Thanksgiving.