Assignment 13: International Hard or Feature News

A hostage situation turned into abandonment for a family of 4. California residents, the Harteaus, were in the midst of falling in love with the beauty of South America when the boat that they were traveling in was taken over by pirates. The pirates redirected the boat and "stripped [them] of their personal belongings" before fleeing the scene.

The Harteaus family, however, were also gone once the police arrived according to Sergio Chene, "a spokesman for Para's Public Safety Department". The couple, Adam and Emily Harteau, and their two daughters, ages 3 and 7, had apparently jumped ship due to the attack and were found days later surviving rather well off of the jungle resources.

The family's original plan was to document their slow travels on their website which is what they consider the model of a "modern family" and return home to the U.S. and hopefully regain family intimacy outside of their cultured lifestyle. Fortunately, they were able to make it out of their detour with a few insect bites and scratches.