The good news is the cousins, the daughters of one of the baunts, decided on their own to make contact with my friend.
They had seen the letter and pictures that my friend had sent and were not in agreement with how their mother and aunts were handeling the situation. They were happy to hear she was out there and hated the fact that their mom and aunts were ignoring her. They took it upon themselves to contact my friend and she couldn't be happier.
They have emailed, spoke on the phone and will meet in person this week
They also agree that she should be able to make contact with her brothers and sisters and believe they will also want to have contact with her.
Again, thank you all for your input.
Shannon