Redmond family fights to get detained daughter home

Described as adventurous and mature for her age by her parents, 18-year-old Samantha Henry spent months saving money for a humanitarian trip in Thailand.

Samantha is the eldest of three girls born to Redmond residents Aaron and Susan Henry. Aaron and Susan were initially hesitant to let Samantha, or “Sam” as those close to her call her, travel abroad. She had hopes of attending law school and received a scholarship to Willamette University.

“You try to arm your kids with all the tools to be successful, right?” Aaron Henry said Thursday. “You don’t want to hold them back, especially when they’re 18. This (trip) is something she always wanted to do.”

Samantha planned the entire trip herself. Her family called her trip to Thailand “Sam Takes On the World.”

“She wrote out her itinerary, every little thing, like the hostels she might be staying at,” Aaron Henry said. “That is a good thing, because we knew where to start looking.”

Samantha traveled to Thailand with her boyfriend, Bend resident Will Lucas. Her parents said Samantha actively posted photos and status updates on her social media accounts and was always in touch with them.

The young couple was supposed to be on their way home Monday from Kuala Lumpur, but the Henrys received word they never boarded their flight.

That’s when Aaron said they started fearing the worst.

“She wanted to travel, she wanted to see the world, she wanted to experience other cultures,” Susan Henry said. “She’s always had an adventurous spirit. I don’t think she won’t travel again.”

Over two frantic days, Aaron and Susan contacted Redmond police, All Nippon Airways, the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia, the FBI and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, searching for help in getting answers as to why their daughter went missing and where she was.

Aaron said when he spoke with an immigration officer in Kuala Lumpur on the phone and asked him if he scanned Samantha’s passport, the officer said “Yes.” The Henrys learned the couple had been detained because their passports were not stamped prior to arriving in Malaysia.

They last heard from Samantha on Monday when she was allowed to use Will’s cellphone.

The Henrys said Samantha broke down in tears at the sound of her father’s voice. She said the detention cells are separated by gender and, being the only female detained, she stays alone. Will is detained with nine other men. There’s feces and urine on the cement floor, and the detainees are only fed fish and rice.

Now, Aaron Henry says there’s a possibility the couple would have to stay detained for another two weeks, until they stand in front of a magistrate who will decide whether or not to deport them.

For now, it’s another waiting game. They said they expect to hear back from their attorney by Friday morning.