The story of the young woman who disappeared in Kansas, whom I posted about yesterday, gets odder:
 A missing Kansas college student believed to be the victim of foul play apparently led a double life as an Internet porn star by the name of Zoey Zane.Nude photos of 18-year-old Emily Sander appeared on a Zoey Zane Web site before she vanished, and investigators are looking into whether her modeling had anything to do with her disappearance last Friday.”She enjoyed it. She is a young teenage girl and she wanted to be in the movies and enjoyed movies. She needed the extra money,” Nikki Watson, a close friend of Sander’s at Butler Community College, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Nobody in El Dorado knew besides her close friends.”Sander’s brother, Jacob Sander, confirmed that the nude woman pictured on the site is his sister.El Dorado Police Chief Tom Boren said FBI and state experts on Internet crime have been called in.”Investigators are aware that Miss Sander was apparently involved in a Web site situation,” he said. “Allegations that this may factor into her disappearance are being thoroughly investigated.”          ÂÂ
You’re going to look, so here’s the cached site. Or I can sum it up for you. There apparently is a huge grist mill operation for photos, video and streaming video of attractive teens willing to strip for a camera. The sites flog the same photos and steer clients towards Zoey’s own blog, which has been pulled. The links to the blogs that she listed as belonging to friends still work, and none of these seems cognizant of her disappearance.  In fact, clearinghouse “Raging Bucks” still has a scrolling sidebar touting its newest site, zoeyzane.com:
SEP 25 2007 –RagingBucks is proud to announce our newest teen site – the launch of ZoeyZane.com! Just as our other solo models, Zoey will be very active on her site. Get ready to see the rebills roll in! Start promoting today!         ÂÂ
 It doesn’t seem like she was doing this for long. Her archives stretch all the way back to October of this year. She represents herself as a “hardcore teen,” but the photos are pretty mild stuff. Poor kid.  I don’t know whether the other girls there are the same ones in the photos with “Zoey,” but it appears that they constituted a kind of stable of talent for this operation.The latest is that a bedspread missing from the motel where last she was seen may provide a visual clue.  A more recent photo of the suspect:
On Tuesday, authorities released a photo of a white bedspread with a floral design and asked for the public’s help in locating it. Police asked the public to pay attention to areas east of El Dorado along U.S. 54 to Fort Scott and along U.S. 69 to Baxter Springs.Texas Rangers found the rented 2007 Ford Taurus in Vernon, Texas, about 50 miles northwest of Wichita Falls, said El Dorado Deputy Chief Rick Kennedy. Detectives and special agents from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation were en route there to help process the car.  ÂÂ
Well, either RagingBucks has gotten wind that their cover is blown, or they’re experiencing site trouble. I screencapped their affiliate contract, though.RagingBucks appears affiliated with Smutlounge . . . a relatively new venture.
August 24, 2007 12:22 PMYes its true ragingbucks.com has come out of beta testing today and has opened the door to the public. I am very much looking forward to the growth and success of this program. But as you all know a affiliate program cant grow without the help of affiliates. We have put together what we believe to be solid foundation for webmasters to send there solo girl traffic to.So without making this a 10 minute read lets get to the good stuff!Everyone say hello To Haylee Hunter from http://hayleehunter.com This cute very out-going 18 teen year old will light your ratios when your surfers get a wiff of this stunning beauty. Thu Haylee just turned 18 her personality and the way she handles herself will leave members rebilling month after month!Next we have Ashley Brookes from http://ashleybrookes.com Ashley’s site has been been online for a few years now. Ashley is relaunching here career with ragingbucks and as some of you know her ratios rocked back in the day! This is a more mature Ashley who still looks great with her stunning body, seducing eyes and witty charm and will continue to produce great ratios!note ashcash affiliates the program will stay up nothing will be removed at all. There will be no new webmaster sign ups threw the ashcash program. You all ready have a email waiting in your box.Next we have Lexi lexxx from lexilexxx.com Lexi also known to her friends princess Lexi has been doing cam shows over the last 7 years. She has a vast knowledge of the biz and will keep members coming back for more. This gorgeous milf loves to dress up, role play and likes to get down and dirty!The new affiliate system is powered by Nats (www.toomuchmedia.com), and filled with new advertising tools. RSS Feeds, Free Hosted Galleries, Pic of the Day, downloadable Content are now available and will be updated constantly. All Solo Girls sites are highly interactive with 2 weekly live cams shows and 4 weekly updates which will help retain members.Also our current Regular Pay sites are http://www.naughtyteenpink.com(Hardcore Teen Site)We have lots more coming, we look forward to a long and profitable future with you! If you have any questions or comments feel free to send me a email to johnny@ragingbucks.com or contact me on icq 247-742-205    ÂÂ
This is just all so sad…
Just saw this and was looking for news. While it’s a shock to her family and friends to have her underground life pop up like that – you can’t say she may not have been savvy and in control of what she was doing. And I’ll bet it paid better than waitressing…
that’s just sad.
I doubt that she was as savvy or in-control as she felt, James.
ok the missing bedspread thing just raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
not.a.good.thing.
No, and they found a lot of blood in the room, too.
The missing bedspread is creepy sounding. And quite ominous, I’m afraid.
Ok word association.
not exactly a science but … neither is global warming.
I’m thinking the next discovery is going to contain the words “dumpster, landfill and stalk.” Tragedy is afoot, I’m afraid.
NEWSFLASH: It’s 2007. Every white girl is naked on the internet. The ones who get paid for it are the ones who have their shit together…comparatively.
What “cover”? They didn’t kill anybody, and they want out of the news. Rubberneckers’ hits cost money.
Rescue-fantasists and Laura-complex guys (same thing) are the only people professionally naked women are afraid of.
…
I am making a face.
Psycho, I could be wrong here, but I think that it’s bad for business when one of your girls disappears, and you don’t acknowledge it in any way.
Jeffersonian — I pray you and my gut are wrong.
I just read a story that said her website had 30,000 subscribers at $40 a month. That’s $1.2 million a month. It said her contract was for 45%, but that she got 5% with the rest put in escrow at first until she met terms (not specified) of he contract. 45% of $1.2 million is $540,000. A month. Even 5% is $60,000/month – $720,000/year (if the person quoted in the article is correct.) I guess porn pays better than waitressing.
You may be right, stovetop, but something tells me this naive little girl was not getting anything like that much money, certainly not from the vultures who run these sites. I think Lee is right; this whole thing is very sad.
I think we all know where Teh Narrative is headed on this one. Unless she comes out alive, expect anti-porn outrage, with concomitant First Amendment ballyhooing from all the usual suspects.
The whole thing makes me tired. Poor kid. I do hope she’s not yet shuffled off, but it’s not looking good.
As a former waitress, I say the “price” you pay waitressing is less than doing porn. I once heard a stat for how long most “exotic” dancers lasted dancing only, before they turned into prostitutes. It was like, three months or something shocking.
$500K ?.. Wow.. Are there sites that feature chubby middle aged guys in wife-beater t-shirts, cuz I could do that.. live cam and all.. and for far less than half a mil… You can check out my pics at http://www.manboobs.com . E-mail me for a price quote..
Count on it. Sure, it might draw three visitors a year, but you can bet it’d have an audience.
Andrew – not to go all “narrative” on you, but I would say the “pornification” of our society is what has lead young girls to doing such a thing as “Zoey Zane”. And, I would think most of us would agree that putting beaver shots up on the web isn’t something we’d want our daughter’s to do (someone else’s daughter – well I guess that is all right?)
Used to be, the women who chose to do such a thing were a specific margin of society. The margin is getting bigger, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. These porn “clearinghouses” feed off of these women. It makes me sick. I don’t know who I blame – or who it is helpful to blame. But, I think it’s time parents seriously started watching what their kids watch, wear, listen to, etc … so that their little Emily doesn’t become the next star on porn-web.
I dont think its simply that porn is more commonplace and acceptable now that draws so many young women into it.. I havent got a problem with porn on a moral level.. If people are comfortable displaying themselves like that, great. There’s certainly a market for it..
What bothers me is the number of young people that do it not because they want to so much as they get sucked into it (no pun intended)… When I was a college student 30 years ago there were jobs in retail and other entry level positions that a young person could do and that paid enough to feed and house yourself modestly, and medical insurance was common…Whats a 20ish young woman without a college degree to do now? These days $8 an hour doesnt go far.. Full time entry level positions arent as common..Corporationjs arent hiring young people right out of highschool as much… Health insurance getting scarcer everyday… While I doubt the majority of the dancers, models, internet webcammers are getting rich.. they can make enough to live..
I think if there were other avenues for young people to make a modest living fewer would be tempted into the sex industry..
Carin, don’t infer from what I said that I disagree with you. I shudder at the thought of what I’m going to have to do to keep my future daughters safe and upright.
In fact, the only codicil I would add is that the old double standard ought to bear its part. Hate to come one like a feminist, but it’s easy to get to say “Oh, what was that sweet young thing doing in that horrible business” and ignore the millions of drooling idiots slapping cash down like descalped rats hitting the pleasure button to see her jubblies. As long as that opening’s around, someone’s gonna fill it, so to speak (I got a great corkscrew…hey, this is a hip crowd…)
So if we really want to end the exploitation, we have to make it not okay to enjoy, not just not okay to do. If we raise our sons to read Hustler, can’t blame our daughters for wanting to be on the cover.
Damn. That was such a good closing line, I forgot to add the part where I tie it all together.
What I meant earlier was that the media (old and new) circus would hit all the same notes, make all the same animals to all the same things, and then fold up tents and get out of town. It’s getting to the point where I can set my watch to what happens whenever there’s a school shooting.
I don’t think you even have to reach as far as Hustler to find pornification. I was trying to shop for clothing for my young daughter’s. Half the stuff – no, that’s generous – MOST OF THE STUFF was “slut-in-training” wear. I didn’t buy them anything.
As girls grow up, there are only going to become more uninhibited, not less. At some point, there is simply nothing else to take off. So, why not pose nude?
I blame feminists and the lowering of standards for female behavior for the current situation. It’s hard to be an upstanding woman in today’s culture (and still get asked out on that second date.) Men (conservative men, as well) simply look for greener pastures. Oh … I feel a tangent coming on, so I better “say it.”
Dan: Why’s that bad for business?
I don’t think anyone seriously thinks that a pornographic “blog” like that is written by the purported author, or is anything other than a way to sell pictures of her, naked. Similarly, nobody thinks that the company running the servers has some sort of community obligation to say “Hey, some psycho kidnapped and maybe killed her.”
I submit that telling people that would be far worse for business, than your proposed uncertainly-based business hit for not mentioning it.
My guess, admittedly without statistical backing, is that far more people would be turned off by such an admission (not to mention the surety that no further pictures of her would be forthcoming for their subscription dollars) than would want to pay money to look at her pictures knowing she’s probably kidnapped and/or murdered. (The latter group, well, I’d hope the producers don’t want their money…)
My limited understanding of how such businesses work is that they pay for pictures, post them, and take more if the girl’s still interested and people liked the first ones. There’s no question of a “cover” (?), and typically no more ongoing relationship than phone calls saying “Hey, want to do another set?” or “Hey, can I do another set?”.
If I’m wrong, fill me in – but from reading eg. Coop’s blog posts talking about sitting in on such things (at a more professional level), and the effort-to-reward ratios involved, that seems to be How Things Work.
Whats a 20ish young woman without a college degree to do now?
How about … get a college degree? Why is that option closed?
in that horrible business†and ignore the millions of drooling idiots slapping cash down like descalped rats hitting the pleasure button to see her jubblies. As long as that opening’s around, someone’s gonna fill it, so to speak (I got a great corkscrew…hey, this is a hip crowd…)
So if we really want to end the exploitation, we have to make it not okay to enjoy, not just not okay to do. If we raise our sons to read Hustler, can’t blame our daughters for wanting to be on the cover.
Oh, I so agree. There’s something really bothersome to me about the thought of the neighborhood dad spending his nights on the internet pulling up homemade teen porn.
I would only add that in order to end the exploitation, someone has to remember to teach these girls they are being exploited. I don’t think they realize how little control they have over who is watching them.
“How about … get a college degree? Why is that option closed?”
The option isnt closed.. I agree wholeheartedly.. been drumming into my kids for years that a college degree isnt optional anymore..
But still.. A college degree isnt realistic for some people.. for any number of reasons.. Some arent prepared for college.. some lack the aptitude.. some lack the financial means .. some just arent suited to it.. but there have to be reasonable options other than the sex industry.. This isnt 1876 in Deadwood South Dakota …
I was going to write on this but I just couldn’t come up with anything to say that wasn’t grim or had been said before. It’s so sad, the poor girl is probably dead now and her life ended in such a sordid way. There’s a better way, both for the girls and for people who hook into these sites.
At the risk of seeming misogynistic, women have been using their beauty and sexuality for gain and profit for all of history, it’s just sad these girls find such a ready market to do it so blatantly and directly.
Latest on this story:
http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/381940.html
At the risk of seeming misogynistic, women have been using their beauty and sexuality for gain and profit for all of history,
That is true, and I don’t think it’s misogynistic. Women have used their beauty and sexuality as power to balance the power of men since the beginning of time. The problem with using your sexuality too broadly, though, is that you lose the control and thus lose any power.