Cape Town documentary filmmaker and social media personality Joshua Rubin was filming content for his social media when he unknowingly found a missing young woman walking in the background of his video, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The woman, named Lauren, had been missing for four months when she was filmed, leading to a powerful reunion with her family that has since gone viral on social media.
Shortly after posting the clip, Rubin was contacted by a desperate father who recognised the woman in the background as his missing daughter. She had been living on the streets of Cape Town after struggling with substance abuse, leaving her family fearing the worst.
Convinced the young woman might still be near the same area, Rubin joined the search, filming the experience for his YouTube channel. The filmmaker, along with the family, spent hours walking through the city, showing her photograph to passers-by, hoping someone had seen her.
While driving through the area, the father spotted his daughter standing on a street corner, dressed in black. Initially, Lauren refused to get into the car, but her mother pleaded with her to stay and talk, assuring her she would not be forced into anything.
After the tense exchange, Lauren eventually agreed and got into the vehicle, marking the beginning of her journey home.
The story has highlighted the harsh realities many families face when dealing with addiction. Lauren’s time on the streets was driven by substance abuse, an issue affecting households across South Africa. According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, the average age of drug dependency in the country is just 12 years old.
Data from Statistics South Africa further reveals that young people between the ages of 15 and 34 are nearly three times more likely to cite drug or alcohol use as a cause of homelessness compared to older generations.
Rubin shared a new video on his socials on 22 April, giving updates on Lauren’s story. Reportedly, Lauren is currently under the care of Diamond Recovery Centres, a licensed, residential, holistic mental health and addiction treatment centre.
Rubin is currently holding a BackaBuddy donation fund for Lauren, available here.
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Picture: Screenshot from video
