In the Summer of 2006, Bonnie Brown lived every parent’s worst nightmare when she arrived to pick up her daughter Molly from Denver International Airport. Molly was supposed to be returning to Colorado after visiting her father in Tennessee, but she hadn’t boarded her plane. Bonnie was left with no clue to her daughter’s whereabouts and spent thirteen long years without contact with her child, her every inquiry into Molly’s wellbeing yielding no results. Finally, with an unlikely assist from the Internal Revenue Service, Bonnie discovered in 2015 that her daughter was alive and well, living in California. Even more shocking, she learned that her daughter had changed her name and date of birth. She was now known, not just to Bonnie, but to the entire world, as the Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Schrader Lawrence.
It sounds like a story too impossible, too fantastic to believe, but this is the tale of loss, separation, and redemption that Brown lays out in her new book- Raising Jennifer Lawrence as Molly Brown, published by SMMedia, LLC. Her self-described “momoir” details Brown’s life as a resident of Grand Lake for over sixty years, including her career as a restaurateur and the personal chef for retired President Gerald R. Ford, the loss of her husband to Traumatic Brain Injury, and the search for her missing daughter, Molly. Brown summarizes her book by saying, “It’s the story of a mother’s love, searching for her daughter all these years, never giving up hope or faith.” Brown, who describes herself as a Christian and a seeker of truth, is fully aware that her story will likely be met with skepticism. She points out that Mark Twain once said, “truth is stranger than fiction.”
Brown invites naysayers to read her book and examine for themselves the evidence that Jennifer Lawrence is actually her missing daughter. This includes documents from the IRS, as well as a statement from the social security administration, which Brown claims confirm Jennifer was not born in Kentucky but Washington state, where the Browns resided. Brown further believes her daughter is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, and that the woman who claims to be Molly/Jennifer’s biological mother trained Molly for years during summer vacations with Molly’s father at an equestrian camp in Tennessee. This same woman possibly had a romantic relationship with Molly’s father. Brown supports these claims with photographs in her book.
“I never gave up hope or faith in reuniting with my daughter. I want my family back. I deserve this.”
My blood runs through her veins. Imagine knowing your daughter is an emotional hostage and can’t come forward, because her captor makes her feel it’s all her fault. It’s a mother’s worst nightmare, having a missing child who’s been extorted and exploited in public view.”
Bonnie’s claims about Molly/Jennifer have been documented by media before. In November of 2016, Heat Magazine ran a story about Brown, labeling her a stalker. The article states that Brown traveled to the Kentucky home of the Lawrence’s, demanding Jennifer come to the door, and that she was ultimately turned away by a security guard. Brown refutes this report, declaring it is a fabrication designed to cast doubt on her credibility She asserts that the Lawrence’s do not have security guards and that she has never even been to the state of Kentucky before.
“If I had someone stalking my daughter, slamming on my front door, I’d call the police,” says Brown. “I’d be afraid. The Lawrence’s didn’t call the police because of the same reason they never enrolled Jennifer in school: they didn’t have a birth certificate. Karen (Lawrence) would have to prove she’s her birth mother.”
After five years of hard work on her “momoir”, Raising Jennifer Lawrence as Molly Brown is now available for purchase. It’s currently available at Amazon.com as a printed soft cover or an e-book, and will soon be in bookstores. The book can also be purchased from Brown’s website, JLawsmom.com. Brown will also be selling her book and available to field questions about her experiences at festivals in Grand Lake and Winter Park throughout the summer.
