Sixteen-year-old Girl Vanishes on Wildwood Boardwalk

WILDWOOD — What started as a two-day vacation at the beach has turned into a nightmare for the Hanstveit family when 16-year-old Natasha Hanstveit went missing on Aug. 17.
According to Claudia Hanstveit the Princeton Junction family arrived in Wildwood around 4 p.m. And by 9 p.m., Natasha was gone.
“We were on the Boardwalk as a family,” said Claudia. “And Natasha asked me if she could go buy ice cream.”
With $10 in hand from her mother, Natasha and her 20-year-old sister, Sophie, went to a Boardwalk ice cream shop.
“She had the $10 bill,” said Sophie. “And after she got her ice cream we started walking back to the motel.” At that point Natasha told Sophie that she wanted to return to the Boardwalk to find their mother and apologize to her for having been defiant earlier that afternoon.
“She gave me the room keys and told me she had to go back to the Boardwalk to make things right with Mom,” said Sophie.
And with that, Natasha seems to have vanished into thin air.
Claudia told the Herald that their trip to Wildwood was a first for the family, since Natasha entered a boarding school in WV.
“She goes to an all-girl boarding school,” said Claudia. “She’s been there for over five months.” The mother explained that Natasha had been having a difficult time behaviorally for the past two years with sneaking out, smoking, drinking, cutting classes, and doing drugs.
“She’s been in a therapeutic environment for almost six month,” said Claudia. “And it seems to have been working. The school thought she was ready (for the outing) because she was doing phenomenally.”
The two-day vacation was planned with precision. According to school rules, Natasha was not allowed to go back to her home for the outing, lest she meet up with unhealthy triggers.
“She was given a two-day visit, but not a home visit,” said Claudia. “I asked her where she wanted to go and she told me she wanted to go to the beach.” Her mother thought that a trip to Cape May would be just what the doctor ordered.
“I thought it would be fun to go to Cape May. It seemed pretty.” Claudia was unable to find a room in the Victorian town.
“Everything was full,” she said. “I wanted Cape May but there weren’t any rooms, so I Googled Cape May and Wildwood came up.” According to Claudia, she had no idea about Wildwood, its Boardwalk, or its nightlife.
Claudia and Sophie drove to WV, picked up Natasha, and the three headed off to the beach. The night before, however, they stopped at Claudia’s brother’s house in VA for the night.
“I picked her up at school and she was so happy. She was the old Natasha.” While at Claudia’s brother’s house Natasha, her mother and sister made a music video.
“We were laughing. She was singing a beautiful song. At the end of the video she was waving and smiling.”
What puzzle’s Claudia about Natasha’s disappearance is the fact that her daughter was looking forward to seeing her best friend the following day.
“Jeff and Susan, Natasha’s best friend, were coming down the next day,” she said. “Natasha and Susan were texting all day, until about 8 p.m.”
“I really believe that this was not premeditated,” said Claudia. “It was absolute impulse – of being free and not being able to find me.”
Perhaps the Hanstveit family had never been to Wildwood before, but their two-day stay has grown.
“I’ve rented a two bedroom apartment,” said the distraught mother. “I’m staying here until I find her, or I know where she is – and I’ll move there to find her.” Natasha’s friends are also staying in Wildwood until she is found.
“We’re out there 20 hours a day,” said Claudia. “We’re not giving up.”
When asked what she would like Natasha to know, Claudia said, “ I want to tell her that I love her, I want her home; we all want her home safe and sound. Her friends and family are heartbroken and Zach (Natasha’s boyfriend) is worried sick and here to see you. Even Ainsley (Natasha’s friend) is waiting to hear from you. She wants you to do the right thing.”
“No matter what you did, it’s okay,” added Claudia. “Don’t throw away all the hard work you’ve done in the past six months.”
And until then, Claudia, Sophie, Jeff, Susan and the rest of the people who love Natasha will be staying in Wildwood – until Natasha comes home.
Natasha is described as a 16-year-old girl with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Last seen she was wearing long, baggy zebra-striped pants, a white t-shirt, a white cap and carrying a red backpack.
Anyone with information to her whereabouts is encouraged to contact Wildwood Police at 609-522-0222, Crime Stoppers at 609-465-2800, her mother at 609-577-8128, or her father at 917-545-8883. There is a $5,000 reward for Natasha’s return.