Teen Rape Victim Wants Others To Know about “Senior Week” in Cancun
EmailUntil now, only a few family members knew Suzanne Lewers of Sonoma County, California was raped on her "senior week" trip to Cancun. Tonight Suzanne goes public on 20/20 to talk of what happened to her in hopes other teens can learn from her experience. "I don’t want any parent across the country to take lightly their kids when they’re 18 going on a senior trip," she told ABC News’ Brian Ross. Authorities say Suzanne was the first of at least 12 tourists who reported being raped by the same man. Police in Cancun never warned tourists a serial rapist was on the loose. "Cancun and Mexico did a really good job of keeping it under wraps," Suzanne says with anger in her voice. She says she was approached by a well-dressed stranger who offered her a cigarette and then a joint and asked for a few dollars. When she gave him five dollars, he pulled out a badge and told her she could avoid arrest if she came with him. "I did what he said, and it was just horrible," she says. "It was rape after rape after rape." It took two years for Cancun police to arrest the accused rapist, who earlier this year was sentenced to an 18-year prison term. He received eight years for the rape and ten years for impersonating a police officer. Suzanne says she regrets not staying with her group of friends and urges teens and parents to remember, "You’re still just a kid, and kids are vulnerable."
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I don’t want to sound as if I’m belittling the victim here, but there’s more to this story than Suzanne Lewers. My daughter graduated from high school two years ago and wanted to go backpacking arround Europe, with no set itenerary. Her mother & I would not let her go, and we had a relatively bad falling out about it, as she wanted what she wanted and didn’t believe that our concerns/fears were valid. Going out of country for an unchaperoned “senior trip” is apparently viewed by todays teens as a right and not a privelege in America these days. I don’t know about the process by which Ms. Lewers & her parents arrived at the decision to let her go, but the more I hear about Cancun, Aruba, and hostels in Europe, the more I question the sanity of any parent who approves of these trips for their teenaged children. I have no doubts many go and have a good time; but who wants to be this kind of statistic?
Posted by: Kevin J. Weise | June 2, 2006, 2:11 pm 2:11 pm
i hope he is caught
Posted by: jake | June 2, 2006, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
My daughter wanted to go to Cancun on her senior trip. I felt if she was old enough to go, she was old enough to pay for it. She stayed home. If she had paid for it herself, I still would have instructed to her be careful, watchful, and always stay with your friends or chaperones. Both in Ms. Holloway’s disappearance and this young woman’s rape, it was clearly a lack of judgement that caused the outcome. Bad people just don’t exist in the United States, they are located on white sandy beaches with clear blue water.
Posted by: Donna Gothia | June 2, 2006, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
We see again that the illusion that females have ‘equal’ rights as males have given rise to yet another victim of folly. Men are very very unlikely to get raped while traveling alone or with other males.
That other lost girl has not yet come back from Aruba. And somehow we never seem to learn from these gross parental errors after errors.
Posted by: Yaama | June 2, 2006, 7:11 pm 7:11 pm
I think the sad part of this story is that the rapist got more prison time for impersonating a police officer than the actual rape.
Posted by: Theo | June 2, 2006, 7:35 pm 7:35 pm
I know Suzy Lewers personally and never knew of her awful experience in Cancun. I graduated a year before her and also went to Cancun for my senior trip with the same organization as Suzy did. No one should ever have to go through what Suzy has gone through, however, Suzy knew her biggest mistake was not staying with her friends. The “senior trip” is meant to be just that: a trip with your senior friends to celebrate the fact that you just graduated and this might be the last time that you’ll get to enjoy each others company for awhile. Yes, it is important for parents to be aware of where their kids are going but, ultimately parents have to trust that they have given their children the knowledge to survive in the “real-world” where, unfortunately, some bad people live. We must remember though that most kids come back from their “senior trip” in one piece with good memories that will last a lifetime. The lessons learned from Suzy’s and others experience are that you need to always stay with a friend when traveling (I think we all learned the buddy-system in preschool), we need to trust our instincts, and we need to be aware of our surroundings at all times. I don’t want the media to scare the next generation into never leaving the house. Instead, I think we need to give them the information to make smart choices, and that doesn’t mean boycotting all foreign travel.
Posted by: Rachael | June 2, 2006, 7:52 pm 7:52 pm
Why did the parent’s of Natalie Holloway and her classmates allow these kids to go on a trip to Aruba? Apparently in Aruba 18 year olds can drink and go to the casino, but that still doesn’t mean it should be a school sponsored function. It’s pretty stupid to allow a non-street wise American girl to go galavanting around a foreign country. Natalie was gone all night long. Where were the chaperones? By the way, who paid for that Aruba trip? I’m also sick of all these idiot parents who say, “I told my kid not to do so and so.” These morons don’t realize that, yeah, the kid heard what you said, and even said they were going to do as you told them to do, but then they went and did the stupid things kids have always done. Telling them doesn’t mean diddly squat. Parents need to keep their kids out of harm’s way.
Posted by: jaybob | June 2, 2006, 9:39 pm 9:39 pm
I hope people realize these horrible things happen everyday right here at home. I don’t think teenages should go anywhere alone.(In America or Mexico or anywhere) All we hear about is what happens on senior trips outside of our country. What about the rapes and murders that happen everyday right here in the good ole USA??
Posted by: Kay | June 2, 2006, 10:38 pm 10:38 pm
I am Mexican, I lived in Can Cun for a while, and saw the way the young Tourist make a lot of things they never do here in the USA.
The tourist’s companies has to give security to them, for the caos they made at the bars and night clubs.
This is something that can hapen any where in the world, isn’t the place, is the way they are outside home.
Posted by: Elena Carter | June 2, 2006, 10:43 pm 10:43 pm
I am sorry to hear about what happened to Suzanne. She is very brave to come forward,especially at her age, as majority of women do not. I was raped a year and a half ago while traveling through Thailand, by a Thai man. I was 28 at the time. I went to the police and to court. His date in court is this August 1st, he has been out on bail since they found him. The big issue I have is the lack of any help I received from my Canadian government. My family and I contacted the consulate in Thailand and in Canada, they made it clear that they could do nothing and we were being a pain. I just would have liked the number of a reputable translator and the number of an western standard and/or english speaking doctor…not much to ask. My Goverment, the people you think you can turn overseas, were and have been zero help. To this day I can’t find out any information about my case. The reality is that it seems that if something happens to you overseas and you decide to come forward, it’s a long, hard and lonely struggle without any help.
Posted by: alex | June 2, 2006, 10:55 pm 10:55 pm
Here Here! I am very disturded by the peice we just watched on Cancun. Before writing this I read the other comments and was relieved to know that there are other people who know that there are too many parents who allow their children to take graduation trips out of the country based on what they hear. My husband and I have been traveling to Mexico for the past 10 plus years and from what we have witnessed there is too many young people taking these graduation trips ( whethter they are high school or spring break trips doesn’t matter!) and what we have witnessed is frightening to say the least. These kids are in a place that is intoxicating and the addition of liquor just intensifies it. I just hope that the peice that you televised does not hurt all of the wonderful places and people who are Mexico. V. Thomas MO
Posted by: V.Thomas | June 2, 2006, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm
I have to agree with Theo’s comments about the media scaring the next generation into never leaving home. There are bad people no matter where you are. We had a person come into our home at a time when high school kids are coming home from school. My fourteen year old son was attacked. Thankfully, he was not physically injured. We have to be aware of our environnment. Our back door was unlocked because he had let the dog out to use the bathroom. It’s very sad to think that in this world you’re not even safe at home. But my family has refused to be held captive behind closed doors and most often than not, our doors are unlocked. My eighteen year old daughter is now in Cancun with a group on her senior trip. We talked about the buddy system. When I said forget the buddy system she and her friends looked at me shocked to hear me say that. I then said travel in a pack. There is safety in numbers. Young girls have been taken by two before. Just hang with the group at all times and keep the chaperones in sight. I have to trust that she will use her head and remember to be alert and to have her friends around at all times.
Posted by: margaret | June 2, 2006, 11:21 pm 11:21 pm
I think we are afraid to be parents even when we ‘know ‘ things are dangerous.Our mistake too.It happens in so many cases of different teen situations.Just like teens will drink and drive and sneak around at all cost.Lie to their parents when, where ,how doesn’t matter as long as they get what THEY want.I bought beer and allowed my son’s eighteen year old friends to drink and party and sleep down there overnight to get them off the roads.Their protection and others. But I hear how bad we are to do things such as this so whats worse?Allow them to drink and drive and hope things turned out ok because they WILL do it !Sad but true I feel.
Posted by: Kathy | June 3, 2006, 1:52 am 1:52 am
I took a group of Midwestern students to NYC on a college field trip. Many of these students had never been out of the state, their family’s never traveled. They had no idea how to behave, no understanding of proper precautions. A group of male students broke the rules, left the hotel, went out drinking and got separated. Unfortunately one of them was beaten and robbed. He was drunk had no idea where he was, no idea where he was staying.
There is definitely a group mentality that takes over in large groups of young people. Unfortunately they just don’t think about consequences. The consequence of my student’s actions was that the University has now cancelled that trip.
Posted by: Mary | June 3, 2006, 5:05 am 5:05 am
The danger are more far-reaching than what was reported. In 1997 on a family trip to Freeport, Bahamas my 6th grade daughter was lured from a gift shop outside a hotel without my knowledge to “take a walk” with a stranger. It took security and family 2 hrs to find her. When found, she was walking back toward the hotel with a man who quickly disappeared. She swore that nothing happened but had hickies on her neck the next day. Management told us there was no way to find the man. She thought he was 18 and didn’t know his last name. Often its about having experiences to tell their girlfriends about back home, maybe the girl just wants to have a “new boyfriend” and bad things happen because they appear eager. American girls of all ages seem to have the reputation of being highly sexualized. Therefore sex is the expected outcome of most encounters with males no matter where they are. Look at the images created through shows like “Girls Behaving Badly.” Look at the video channels and the way young people “foreplay” as they dance in clubs with complete strangers, sometimes winding up drunk and raped in restrooms.
They don’t deserve to be treated as sex objects, yet they think they have “freedom” and that they are in control of situations. It’s the path that liberal society has taken them down and even the most caring parents can’t protect them. Sadly, it’s the girls, not the boys, who bare the emotional scars and bad memories and they don’t know for several years if they have an STD from that “freedom” they experienced.
Posted by: Judy | June 3, 2006, 7:07 am 7:07 am
We are living in a dream world that doesn’t see or hear about the actual horrors that occur in this country as well as foreign countries. The news media fails to report the killings and rapes in our cities, which number in the thousands per year, for the fear of offending people. But give it time and it will playing in a theater near you.
Posted by: Frank | June 3, 2006, 8:46 am 8:46 am
Judging Suzy and her parent’s decision-making in this situation is an incredibly harsh way to view her situation. I’m very disappointed to see that the majority of the postings regarding this segment are so full of judgment and blame. The situation she found herself in while in Cancun can happen anywhere, especially in the U.S., whether or not she were with friends or family. Suzy did not deserve what happened to her, as no victim of rape ever does, and placing blame does not solve or justify what happened. If you’ve ever gone to the restroom or snackbar at a large public event (like a ballpark or fair) by yourself or even walked to your car in a parking lot at night by yourself then you have also placed yourself in situations just as vulnerable as Suzy found herself. No one is safe from predators; just because it hasn’t happened yet to you or someone you love, doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen. So please, before judging the decisions Suzy and her parents made, realize you don’t have to be in Cancun to get raped, and it wasn’t Suzy’s fault. She DID NOT ask for this and definitely did not deserve this. Take this for what it was: a strong, young woman warning others of her mistakes and her situation in hopes that others might better protect themselves.
Posted by: Kelly | June 3, 2006, 11:34 am 11:34 am
I am Mexican born in the states but with the majority of family still in Mexico. I’ve been traveling to Cancun once a year (since I was 18) for the last 14 years. Teens go crazy when they are down these especially if it’s the first time away from mom and dad and out of the country. The drinking age is 18 but they were serving me drinks when I was 13. Although danger is anywhere, remember that Mexico is another country and there is pretty much no justice system down there. It’s easy to get into trouble as well as be a victim of a crime with no law enforcement to help you. It’s not all bad but parents need to remind their teens to stay in groups constantly. Even though I’m 32 now, my parents still remind me never to wander around by myself when I go to Cancun or anywhere else in Mexico.
Parents, before you allow your teen to book a trip to Cancun, do your homework. The State Department has an excellent website full of information on travel. There is a section on ‘Spring Break in Mexico’. Go to http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw
/spring_break_mexico/spring_break_mexico_2812.html
Posted by: Susie | June 3, 2006, 11:40 am 11:40 am
I am sorry to hear about Sue’s situation. I am a thirty year old female world traveler. I have been to Mexico and Cancun. The only outlandish things that I have ever seen down there is the teenage american behavior. It is one of the safest places I have ever been to, in all of my world traveling,( the most unsafe place I have ever been was on a NYC subway !!!) In fact, most of my traveling experiense, I am usaually astonished and embarassed by young Americans. Would these girls be out drinking like this in there own backyard !!! Yes I had a wonderful time in Cauncun, it is a beautiful wonderful place. Why are these “kids” going down there and behaving inappropriately. Where is the parental responsiblity and what morals and common sense are taught to these kids. Instead of blaming these places for these occurance, which happen in the USA ALL THE TIME. People need to take more responsibiltiy for there own beahvior !!!
Posted by: shelly | June 3, 2006, 11:47 am 11:47 am
As a property owner in Cancun, I am glad to see that tourists are willing to go back to an area that was so hurt by Hurricane Wilma. BUT as a property owner in Cancun, I find it very difficult to understand why parents would allow their kids into an area where they can behave in any way they want and drink themselves silly. At home they cannot drink till they are 21, but in Cancun they are allowed to drink anything at the age of 18 and in many cases even under that age. These kids have no clue what they are in for, other then looking for a great time away from home and family. This is a big mistake. Those who do not hide in their rooms are in for all kinds of trouble. Would the same parents allow their kids to go out with people they do not know and homes they do not know anyone? Of course not, but they are willing to let them leave the country to get into all kinds of trouble without any hesitation. Parents-time for you to realize that your kids are still kids when it comes to the grown up world of hard drinkers and partiers. Let them have fun at home, and if they really want to go out of the country to celebrate their graduation, then let them go with you as a part of the family. The chances of them getting into any kind of trouble is much less and they will come home safe and happy, and perhaps enjoy the fun of being with their families, vs. coming home possibly in a coffin. This is a tough call for parents to make, but they should really think about it for a minute before agreeing to pay for this type of break from home.
Posted by: Gabe | June 3, 2006, 5:50 pm 5:50 pm
I am a 34y/o female who has been blessed to travel within and outside of the US for many years. I loved the time I spent in Cancun but definitely saw the crazy, “lets get wasted” mentality of many young (as well as older) travelers there.
I would never walk the streets at night by myself, and even during the day I would always make sure I was in well populated areas if by myself. Many times we think that these ‘bad people’ are the ones that live there (which happens of course) but remember that you have young males that travel there too and when they get drunk, they rape the same way they rape here when they’re back home. Let’ face it and stop acting like it’s a normal, teenage right of passage – alcohol to excess will always put you at risk!…no mater if you’re young or old.
I feel badly for Suzy and in no way am judging her or her family but the only way we can learn is by looking at situations like these and say “how could we diminish the risk of this happening to my child?” We have to place the security of our kids in our own hands because obviously no one else will, whether here or abroad.
Posted by: AM | June 4, 2006, 9:26 am 9:26 am
I lived in Cancun for two years. I would watch young tourists drink on the street, drink on the bus, puke, and behave in a way that they would never do back home. When you live in beautiful Cancun the only blight you see, are young people doing things they would never do in their own community.
Posted by: Mike | June 4, 2006, 10:26 am 10:26 am
First, anyone who has a brain knows that Mexico is not a lawful nation. I can tell you of a story where a young man was taken from Cancun by policemen for “public intox” and driven out into the desert, robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Do you think there is any prosecution for this? Of course not. Mexican law enforcement is corrupt AT BEST.
Keep your kids at home. Don’t go to Mexico unless you stay in your resort where they have an incentive to keep it safe. Enjoy the beach, don’t enjoy the town.
Posted by: John | June 4, 2006, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
Neither geography nor morals plays the determining factor in a rape. A rapist is, by definition, a preditor and will adjust his approch according to the situation he finds his potential victim. In addition, many are well practiced con men who practice a friendly likeable front. Rather than preaching to our daughters about the motives of strange men we should be teaching them the danger signs of all men. I know, I survived a aquantiance rape my freshman year of college, at college. I was niave and came from a home where sex was never mentioned and I was expected to save myself for marriage.
Posted by: BAS | June 4, 2006, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
Everybody seems to be commenting o her age or the parents, the reality is it happens all the time. you can be 18 or 80. telling your story is the first step in stoping this. the issue is not ‘they were drinkers’ ‘they were young’ ‘the parent weren’t paying atention’whatever. There will always be violence against women.Women need to speak up. tell their stories. it’s the only way to stop the sexual violence.
Posted by: alex | June 5, 2006, 1:52 am 1:52 am
Why not take a really great family vacation instead and invite one good friend for your teen?
It is not a matter of “blame” but one of good common sense that an 18, 19, 20, and even 21 year old young person is not quite adult yet…nor worldwise…doesn’t matter how mad they get….if your three-year old is screeming her bloody head off because she does not want to get in the car seat do you let her have her way? How about your 18 year old…no seat belt ok? It just isn’t worth it. Joan
Posted by: Joan | June 5, 2006, 6:56 am 6:56 am
Everyone has to realize that there is crime and evil people in the world, not just in Mexico or Aruba. Here in the United States as well. As parents, we all have preached to our daughters and sons about being cautious with strangers, and we try to protect our children at all costs! As parents, we do the best we can at raising our children, there is no specific manual to address the rapists, serial murders, child molestors etc. We, as parents should be empathic to the children these horrible things happened to, as well as to the parents, because, as a parent, we wished we could have prevented any harm to our children no matter what age they are. Have any of you as parents made a mistake or a misjudgement? My daughter was raped by her long time boyfriend over three years ago, I didn’t find out till last year. I cried, that she felt it was her fault she was raped and couldn’t tell me. My daughter wasn’t out of the United States, and this was her boyfriend for a year. I empathize with any and all parents that have had tragedy pertaining with there children, it is heartwrenching to know that harm has came to your child.
Posted by: joanne | June 5, 2006, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
why was she alone?
Posted by: unknown | June 14, 2006, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
I must say I travel to cancun several times a year, and recently graduated college. I have been there on many spring breaks and see how people act. It is VERY easy to drink to much and get in a bad situation! Its the same no matter WHAT big city you are in, whether its cancun or new york city, people need to stick with their friends and have their friends take care of them! Dont blame cancun, blame yourselves for getting in those situations! End of story!
Posted by: J | July 5, 2006, 12:03 pm 12:03 pm
I was sickened to read some of the comments that both parents and young people alike had posted regarding this article. Just one year ago I was raped by a police officer in Cancun while on a college spring break trip. In one moment my life crashed down around me. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of these events and ways in which I could have prevented the unthinkable.
Instead of assigning blame to Suzanne for moments that she can not take back, we should be inspired by her courage, her quest for justice, and the hope the she has brought to others through her story. As a fellow rape survivor I am deeply touched by Suzanne’s story and was inspired by her battle to find justice in a city where anything but prevails.
Posted by: Kate | July 25, 2006, 3:13 am 3:13 am
commenting on Kelly,June 3, 2006, I’m in total agreement with her. There are perverts EVERY WHERE! One place where they are isn’t any safer than any other. It’s no wonder more and more people are telling there stories on talk shows, to news reporters and any where else they can! They should and I pray that the exposure continue. That’sa the only way that we will get REAL JUSTICE for what is happening to us and our loved ones. I’m ELATED and always will be when we get the ones that’s INTIMIDATING AND THREATING people to do bad things if we don’t do what they say or if we TELL anyone.
Posted by: ELois P. Clayton | October 28, 2006, 11:16 am 11:16 am
i am turning 18 this year and will be going on my senior trip to the bahamas. I am smart enough to stay with my group of friends i am going with. If girls are not responsible and mature enough to realize they need to stay with who they came with, then they are basically asking to get raped.
Posted by: Melissa | November 12, 2006, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
To people who think her biggest mistake was not staying with her friends, you seriously need to be educated about the statistics on rape. Most rapes are committed by people who knew the victim. Colleges cover up what really goes on the same way Cancun did. And for the same reason: money.
Posted by: Stephen | November 21, 2006, 9:23 am 9:23 am
I think it is time for parents in this country to stop trying to be “friends” with our kids giving in to whatever they want, and get back to being the responsible, no-nonsense parents that we had a generation ago. Since when are teenagers old, or smart enough to handle the peer pressure of being away from home? At least when the Senior trips were domestic, the most that could happen is that you would be sent back home by the chaperones. I doubt that kids today even know what a chaperone is? Face it America, we are sending our kids overseas into a world where Americans are not the most popular people to begin with. How can we continue to justify this as a nation, and as parents? Even the president’s daughters are Just another example of “Girls gone Wild”, which is what the rest of the world expects from our kids.
Posted by: CS3 | November 27, 2006, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
one must be wary when traveling. I always felt safer when with about 30 rugby players. but now with terrorist even that might not protect you. just stay home and spend your $$ here.
Posted by: rugby | November 30, 2006, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
Hi i am a student and i know how hard it is to go out and be able to trust people that are around you… But always remember it isnt illegal to ask the “police officer” to give you his number and call it in to see if its real. Always carry a cell phone or be in public when out somewhere. I have been sexually assualted by a stranger before and it wouldnt have happen if i would have stayed in a group or in a public place. its sad but not alot of people will stop a crime but a person is more unlikely to comit one out in public. So stay safe when you go somewhere and make sure you tell someone where you are going so if you dont show up in a few hours someone will look for you.
Posted by: Teena | March 29, 2007, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
i think this story is sooo touching.. i just wanna say thanks!
Posted by: taco man | September 27, 2007, 2:15 pm 2:15 pm
you all really need to understand. it dosen’t matter where you are. most people are raped by someone they do know. it wasn’t her fault. yes, she should have not been alone, or talking to a standger. but just about all of us have. you can’t blame her. and like i said way over half people who are raped know the rapist. a senior trip is filled with memories and memories. you can’t take that away because of some things that happen. thy can happen anywhere. not just at tourist places. it can happen even in your own community.
Posted by: Vanessa | January 18, 2008, 1:02 am 1:02 am
I cant say I know what it is like to be raped but my big sister has been raped and it caused the downfall of my family there is no way to justify this and i will pray for you
Posted by: Jennifer kirk | March 6, 2008, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
i think that it wrong and no one should go threw rape its painful and it change change a person
Posted by: apalonia | April 13, 2009, 9:12 am 9:12 am
I was with Suzy for this interview. She graciously took me to NYC with her and it was intense and difficult. She is an amazing Resilient person who has always left me in aw of her strength beauty passion and wisdom. This woman is a hero of mine and always will be. Much love to u SL
Posted by: Jenn | December 16, 2009, 9:34 pm 9:34 pm