‘I flew over 1,500 miles to meet man I’d been talking to online — only to be ghosted’

A woman flew 1,151 miles to meet a man she’d been talking to online for three years – but he never showed up and ghosted her. 

River Blake, 23, flew cross-country from Lafayette, Louisiana, US, to Rapid City, South Dakota, with a one-way ticket to meet her ‘date’. 

She says the eight-hour flight was paid for by her date – but after he didn’t show, River was forced to pay $1,290 to cover the cost of overnight accommodation and a last-minute ticket home for the following day. 

River hasn’t spoken to him since and vows only to focus on her career from now on. 

River, a model, from Lafayette, New Orleans, said: “I spent three to four hours at the airport running in circles – and when I realized he wasn’t coming to get me, I left. 

“I booked a Hilton for two nights, met a nice guy through a friend, and he showed me the city. 

“It definitely still hurts – it really rubbed me up the wrong way – but at least I got to do some sightseeing.”

River’s date first slid into her DMs in 2019 – saying he’d spotted her modeling work and thought she was “beautiful”. 

They both had a lot in common – including a passion for truck shows and working in social media full-time – giving them plenty to talk about. 

Despite living in different states, the pair spoke almost every day for five years and had lots of mutual friends – leading River to believe he was the real deal. 

She said: “We FaceTimed every night – but our relationship was kind of weird – like, wishy-washy. 

“Sometimes he’d disappear for a bit, then reappear like nothing had ever happened.”

On February 9, 2024, River’s date told her suddenly that he wanted to fly her out one-way and to move her in with him. 

She says he’d told her he was building a house and wanted her to come in and help him decorate it. 

He paid for her plane ticket, and on February 17, River set off at 5.30am from Lafayette Regional Airport and got three connecting flights to Rapid City, South Dakota. 

“He must’ve created this dream life that he knew I’d be interested in,” she said. 

“And built everything up, to the point of me going. 

“I packed to go for weeks and months – he wanted me to live with him.”

River arrived in Rapid City at 3pm the same day – and spent the first hour sitting in a cafe, doing work on her laptop. 

Her date texted her to tell her he was still getting ready, and hadn’t left for the airport. 

But after sending her a selfie to let her know he was on his way, River noticed her date was actually going in the wrong direction. 

She said: “Airport security kept checking to see if I was OK – and I wanted to stay, just in case he actually showed up.

“He sent me a picture, saying he was definitely on the way.

“But I noticed the road signs showing he was heading West – but I was in the East. 

“I knew he had to be heading in the opposite direction – and I messaged saying, ‘I don’t think you’re actually going to pick me up.’

“He didn’t say anything – and we haven’t spoken since.”

River waited at the airport until 7pm, before paying $290 to spend a night at the local Hilton. 

She rang a friend – another truck driver – who said he knew someone in the area and connected them. 

The pair spent the evening sightseeing, going to local parks and grabbing ice cream. 

“I’m still in touch with Tucker to this day,” River said. 

“He showed me some pretty good places.

“I guess all’s well that ends well.” 

She spent the entirety of the next morning sat at the airport, talking to the same security guard. 

And at 1pm, River headed back on the eight-hour journey to Lafayette.

She spent an additional $1k on last-minute flights back – arriving home at 10pm. 

River said: “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. 

“This just wasn’t my time – and he wasn’t my person, after all. 

“I’m just focusing on my career now, and spending as much time travelling as I can.”