Justine Bethel was 12 when she loaded her backpack in the middle of the night and fled home forever, eventually living in parks and on beaches. “I didn’t know how many nightmares would soon become my reality,” she said. “Yet anything was better than where I was.” Born in 1989, Bethel grew up in Chula Vista mostly living with her mother. Her parents divorced when she was 2. Her mother remarried when Bethel was 11, but got divorced three years later. “Mom was unstable,” Bethel said. “She was an alcoholic and on medication. Mixing the two eventually killed her.” “I […]
