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Straight From a Horror Film: The Disappearance of Kayla Berg
A viral video led many, including members of her family, to believe the teen was being held against her will–but was it a hoax?
The video is shocking. A young man sits in front of the camera, boasting about his new girlfriend. His eyes bulge in excitement, his fists clench in glee. “I know she hates cameras…but I’m gonna show you her anyway!” the man exclaims as he skips over to a locked door and pushes it open.
What was behind the door captured the nation’s attention: a young girl, on the floor in chains, crying out in pain. Her long brown hair masks half of her face as she writhes in agony.
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!” she wails as the man slams the door shut behind him. Her screams continue to echo throughout the house.
It was a disturbing video on its own, but those who got a good glimpse of the captive girl made an even more disturbing observation. She looked exactly like Kayla Berg, a 15-year-old girl who went missing in Wisconsin on August 11th, 2009–only two months before the video was published on YouTube. Was Kayla the girl in the video? Many people online believed so. The theory drew national news coverage, and even Hope Sprenger, Kayla’s mother, was convinced.
