Her Story

Alexis Miranda Badger was born in 1974 to Cathy Terkanian, who was just 16 years old at the time. Facing immense familial pressure and lacking the resources to raise a child as a teenage single mother, Terkanian made the agonizing decision to place Alexis for adoption when the infant was nine months old. The adoption was processed as a "closed adoption," meaning Terkanian was legally barred from receiving any further information about her daughter’s whereabouts or well-being. Terkanian believed she was securing a safe, stable, and loving future for her child.

Alexis was adopted by Dennis and Brenda Bowman, a couple residing in rural Allegan County, Michigan. Upon finalization of the adoption, they legally changed her name to Aundria Bowman.