Girl who ran away at 13 joins police and finds love, then discovers fiancé's secret link to her past

A TikTok video by one woman revealed an unexpected 15-year-old connection between her and a police officer. Roshin Ali, who goes by @roro.nicole on the platform, shared the clip, which has now crossed five million views and over 435,000 likes. Ali explained in the video that when she was 13, she ran away from home, and among the officers searching for her at the time was a young policeman named Tyler Schrupp, as per Newsweek. 15 years later, after joining the Jackson, Tennessee, police department herself, Ali discovered she was now working alongside the same officer who had once been part of the team looking for her.

Their professional paths later turned into a personal relationship, and the two are now engaged. Ali told Newsweek, "To think that Tyler once played a role in the search for me as a missing child, and then, more than a decade later, reappeared in my life as a man I would fall in love with is extraordinary." The couple decided to share their story through the "Is This Illegal?" TikTok trend, which pairs the song "Illegal" by PinkPantheress with on-screen text revealing unexpected contrasts between people. In her video, Ali explained that she once went missing at 13, and that Tyler was one of the officers involved in the search, and that they are now engaged.

Ali added, "It is one of destiny and the unexpected ways life brings people together." Ali and Schrupp’s story depicts that one can find a connection in an entirely unexpected way. A foundational study by Raymond Knee (1998, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology), titled "Implicit Theories of Relationships: Assessment and Prediction of Romantic Relationship Initiation and Dissolution" found that those high in destiny beliefs are more likely to interpret relationship events (like first meetings or reunions) as "signs" or "meant to be" moments, while those high in growth beliefs see them as opportunities that evolve with time and work.

Many viewers congratulated the couple and shared their thoughts in the comments. @learning_to_love_myself3 wrote, "I need a story time of how you went from missing and him searching for you to engaged." @.madisonannn joked, "It’s not illegal if it’s iconic." Some users misunderstood the context and questioned the timeline and age gap. @belle.femme174 said, "The psychology behind this makes me wonder if this relationship is even genuine." @bells62972 asked, "Wait, so, what's the age gap?

Ali later addressed the comments in both her interview and a follow-up TikTok, clarifying that she met Schrupp 15 years later and had no idea he had been part of her missing case when they first met as colleagues. She said, "Despite his role in that case, Tyler and I never met during that time, and we did not cross paths again until many years later. Our story has received many different reactions. Some call it 'weird,' while others see it as something beautiful. What many don’t realize is that if they look beyond the surface, it becomes clear that our love story is not inappropriate in any way." Many supported her. @denisailies74 added, "Guys, idk the actual story, but it says engaged 15 yrs later, doesn't say they've been together 15 yrs. They could’ve re-met and got together like 5-6 years ago." 

You can follow Roshin Ali (@roro.nicole) on TikTok for more relationship content.

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