GALVESTON, Texas -- In what has become an all too familiar story, a 15-year-old Galveston girl went missing over the weekend after taking off with a man she met on the social networking Web site MySpace.com.

Luckily, Lauralee Gonzales was found safe in Cotulla, Texas, near Laredo. She was found at the home of a 28-year-old police said lured the teen through chats on the Web site.

As it turns out, not even Gonzales’ mother knew of her daughter’s online activities. Police said the teen's conversations with the man who she allegedly ran off with began in May.

No one knew how serious those conversations were.

That, said child safety experts, is the first tip parents should follow.

“You (need to) monitor that activity. Know who your kids are interacting with,” said Ken Baines, the director of programs of the Covenant House.

Studies have shown a third of all teenagers have been contacted by complete strangers online. Experts agree the best defense is still a face-to-face conversation before stories like Lauralee Gonzales’ begin.