Whenever there’s a new trend on TikTok, there’s always that one post that everyone just raises their hands and goes, “Ok, you win.” Roshin Ali, 28, was the latest person honored with that title when she took over a PinkPanthress-inspired trend to introduce her fiancé, who just so happened to be part of the search team that looked for her when she went missing as a 13-year-old.
The trend in question originates from the song “illegal.” Couples and friends have been playing the hook of the song, where the British popstar sings about meeting a potential romantic partner and smoking marijuana with them. In the trend, you shake the hand of someone else and give your followers a little bit of your lore.
Roshin, who goes by @roro.nicole on the social media platform, just so happened to amass a whopping 5 million views for her contribution to the trend. Missing person stories don’t always go well for Roshin, however. Luckily, when she went missing at 13, she ended up being reunited with her parents and seemingly went on to have a rather normal childhood.
It just so happened that Tyler Schrupp was part of the search party too. So, when Ali (28) joined the police force in October 2023, she found herself face to face with Tyler, now 38. As we know, when it comes to a missing person, just about everyone who is called upon ends up joining the search party. Sometimes, the most unlikely people with no experience whatsoever are the ones who actually end up finding a missing person. So folks, whenever there’s a missing person in your area — join the search party. You might just end up finding the person, or maybe even a spouse.
But before people start assuming it was a case of grooming, Roshin clarified to Newsweek, “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.” She continued, “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.”
May-December relationships have always been a subject of controversy. The jury is still out on those types of relationships, and social media can’t quite come to a consensus about the most famous example of that — Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating history. For years on end, people have never been able to agree on whether it is all overindulgent or simply none of our business. But for Roshin and Tyler’s story, as soon as people understood the full context, the commenters were refreshingly positive.
One commenter wrote, “Y’ALL. She went missing at 13, they never said HE IS THE ONE who found her. She is in her thirties/late twenties. This is NOT grooming.” Another user added, “It’s not illegal if it’s iconic.”
Roshin believes that her relationship with Tyler was “destined.” Regardless of where you stand, you have to admit the story between them — where they first discovered that, unbeknownst to them both, not only had she once gone missing but he was also part of the search party — must have been quite an electric conversation.
