NORTH TEXAS — Her local Dallas story made national headlines. Now, the 18-year-old North Richland Hills sex trafficking survivor is ready to discuss every terrifying detail.

“It’s my first birthday home since, like, two years…,” said smiling Natalee Cramer.

She is speaking out for the first time ever, explaining what happened to her in April 2022.

At just 15 years old, she disappeared from a Dallas Mavericks game at the American Airlines Center. She was found 10 days later with traffickers in Oklahoma.

“I can change people’s perspective and make them feel like they have a voice,” Cramer said.

Once afraid and too weak to tell her story, Cramer now wants her voice heard.

“I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid. There’s nothing to be afraid of. And it’s so strong, feels so strong saying that,” Cramer said. “I feel so strong saying that. I never would have thought it a year ago. I would have never been here. I would have never thought I could do it. I’m so proud of myself.”

On April 8, 2022, the Mavericks played the Trailblazers at American Airlines Center.

Cramer and her dad sat in section 221 until the then 15-year-old left to go to the bathroom and never returned.

For the next 10 days, her story made headlines all over the country. AAC cameras captured the only clues. She was last seen with two men on surveillance video at the arena.

“I was planning on going to the game but then got anxious… I needed something,” said Cramer.

Cramer says she was struggling with anxiety and addiction to vaping and marijuana.

“So, I just went and I found a male. I was like, ‘Hey, do you smoke?’ And he was like, ‘yeah.’ He asked me who I was with. And I was like, ‘I was with my dad. I don’t know where he’s at, but we can just chill.’”

Cramer says the encounter took a turn in the parking garage.

“I thought he was the only one… and he wasn’t. They had a bag of weed and rolling papers,” said Cramer. “Pretty much once they kind of showed me, I was just shoved in, not thrown in. But I didn’t I didn’t have a choice.”

Cramer says it didn’t take long to know she was in danger. She said she “…wasn’t sober enough to do anything about it. I didn’t know.”

She said the details of that night and the next 10 days are slowly coming back to her. They are very difficult to hear.

Cramer said she was raped three times in the AAC parking garage and then she was driven somewhere else.

“I would say … 20 to 25 minutes away from the American Airlines Center … and they continued to have me smoke marijuana and they raped me again,” said Cramer. “And when I knew I was getting sex trafficked was when the guy, he had a gray hoodie on… I remember he asked me, he said, ‘Can you go take a shower and then put these clothes on so we can go down to the street?’ … I didn’t think of selling my body. None of that.”

Cramer’s parents, desperate for answers, hired a private investigator who, within 24 hours, made a terrifying find. He discovered adult ads online for their daughter. She was being sold in Oklahoma. 

Cramer said she does not remember being driven to Oklahoma, but she remembers being there.

When asked why she didn’t find a phone to call for help, she said that part of the story is hard to understand.

“…that’s something that a lot of people will probably be very questionable about,” Cramer said. “There were times that there was a phone, and I could call … I didn’t, it didn’t run through my mind. I was, I was running. I was running for drugs. I was running for all these other reasons.”

Cramer says her family was not number one at that time.

“I was self-sabotaging,” said Cramer. “I was putting myself in positions that I shouldn’t have, but… I just didn’t call. I don’t know why I didn’t call.”

The private investigator alerted Oklahoma City police about the adult ads for Cramer. Ten days after Cramer disappeared from the AAC, an Oklahoma officer found Cramer wandering outside a complex where one of her traffickers would later be arrested.

“I was tired. I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to do,” Cramer said. “I was messed up to the point where I would see things that weren’t there … and so, I was just walking at those apartments, just like praying. I was just like, ‘God, please have someone, something, whether it’s a cop, an ambulance, something, a random person on the side of the road.’ I was like, ‘God, I can’t do this … please.’ And, ‘Somebody, please, please save me.’ And not five minutes [later], a cop pulled up next to me and he goes, ‘Are you Natalee Cramer?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am.’”

Cramer became very emotional, saying her prayers were answered.

“He felt it. God told him, ‘That’s her. Go get her.’ Like, God was there. He was there.”

It’s been two and half years since that night at the AAC, Cramer attributes her escape and recovery to faith, family, therapy, and Gunnar. Gunnar is her dog, who came along not long after she came home and began therapy.

“When I got Gunnar, I was in a manic … every morning he forced me to get out, I had to take him out. I had to feed him,” said Cramer. “He brought that motivation back … he’s a dog. He doesn’t know, but he saved my life completely.”

Cramer said she is lucky to be alive.

“I knew I was going to die. I knew,” said Cramer. “It’s scary to think that it happens every day. But I hope what people take from this is that it’s real. It’s real and it’s hard. And you may not think it will happen to you until it does.”

She has a message for other victims and survivors.

“Don’t give up on yourself. Even if this happens to you, don’t give up on yourself. It will get better. It’s not something to be ashamed of anything. You just have to embrace it and realize it’s not your fault. It’s not!”

Cramer is still recovering, but she’s ready to help others who may be in the same situation she once was.

“I’m not giving up,” said Cramer. “I am going I’m going to continue to speak about it even if that means telling my story 100 times over and over and over and over. It’s not just my story being told. It’s other people’s who aren’t able to tell their story.”

Cramer says she is a 9.5 on a scale of one to 10. She is working on her GED and wants to start veterinarian school She says she’ll be a “10” when that happens.

Cramer and her family started a non-profit foundation. Aisling for Life helps raise support and resources for sexual assault and sex trafficking victims. The Irish word “Aisling” means “dream.”

While several people were convicted in Oklahoma in connection to Cramer’s case, Dallas investigators made an arrest but later dropped the charges against the suspect.

To kick off the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys will hit the road to take on the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It seems to be a tossup right now as to which team is favored to walk away with the victory, but Dallas may have the slight edge considering they have the majority of their starters returning on both sides of the ball.

This is far from a cakewalk win for the Cowboys. There’s still a lot of mystery and unanswered questions of about this year’s team, which makes this Week 1 matchup against the Browns all the more intriguing. If they do want to walk away with the “W” they will need to win some key matchups. Today, we will share the ones we think need to be watch closely.

LT Tyler Guyton vs. DE Myles Garrett

Tyler Guyton won’t be awarded the opportunity to dip his toes in to test the waters in his professional debut in the NFL. Instead, he’s being thrown into the deep end immediately having to face off against Myles Garrett in the season opener. Garrett is arguably the best pass rusher in the entire league and has the ability to ruin the Cowboys day all by himself if the rookie LT can’t hold his own. As matchups go, this could be the most intriguing and important one to follow in Week 1 for the Cowboys.

DE Micah Parsons vs. LT Jedrick Wills Jr.

To help balance the scales from the Tyler Guyton versus Myles Garrett matchup, Micah Parsons going up against Jedrick Wills is another important an intriguing head-to-head battle to keep track of. Wills is still working his way back from a season-ending MCL tear he sustained in November last year, and will maybe be less than 100% for the season opener, which could help tip the scales in the Cowboys favor in this Week 1 matchup. This could be a huge problem for the Browns and quite possibly a multi-sack game for Micah Parsons.

CB Caelen Carson vs. WR Amari Cooper

Due to Amari Cooper’s precise route running ability and his veterans savviness, he is a nightmare matchup for just about any cornerback around the league. The Browns would be wise to get him matched up with Cowboys rookie CB Caelen Carson, who is expected to replace DaRon Bland while he’s sidelined with a foot injury opposite Trevon Diggs. Carson has received some high praise this offseason, but may need some help containing Cooper. Otherwise, his NFL debut may be a rough one.

12:08 PM on Sep 3, 2024 CDT