We Got Her! She’s Safe!
“We got her!
She’s safe!” I was holding my breath as I heard those words on the other end of
the phone! My heart was beating so fast!
She was only
14-years-old when she agreed to meet face-to-face with the 14-year-old boy she
had met online. What a NICE guy,
she had grown to like him after their many online “talks.”
Telling no one,
she left to meet him at a park in the town. The 14-year-old boy turned out to be a man who dealt in
human trafficking. She was
kidnapped - TAKEN to a larger city!
Her mother
frantic and not knowing what had happened contacted local law enforcement. It soon became apparent through the communication
discovered on the girl’s computer that she “voluntarily” went to the park. Runaway was listed on the police records.
After a period of time law enforcement services were no longer
provided to find the woman’s daughter. This was not unusual due to
The single mom
frustrated and overwhelmed called our private investigator, a service we
provide without cost, to see if we would help. We agreed to take on her case.
Even as we were working on the case, the mother made a common mistake - she went to the streets of the
city to try to find her daughter. We understood that she was distraught and
blaming herself, nevertheless, we had to deter her from looking for her
daughter. Why? So that the
detectives, who were working with the authorities, could do their job without
mom “blowing it out of the water.”
Believing her
daughter to be gone for good or dead, the mother contemplated taking her own
life. I tried to contact her,
praying for the right words to say.
I left numerous messages on her answering machine and cell phone. I told her that she was a good mom,
this was not her fault, and that I was praying for her and her daughter. I
encouraged her to not give up hope.
That night her
daughter was rescued!
Thanks to the
hours and hours of our team working along side of law enforcement, we located
her. The policemen literally broke down the door to where she was being held.
The traffickers had shaved her head, completely changed her appearance,
drugged, beat, raped and sold her body on line and on the street. She was helpless,
celebrating her birthday in captivity.
The daughter
and mother were whisked away to special care and protection with only the
clothes on their back. The
trafficker had got away.
Even in the
midst of her ordeal, the mother sent word of “Special Thanks” to me for making all
those supportive phone calls that night!
TAKE
ACTION: The story of this teenage
girl has been played out over and over again, because of our children’s
vulnerability. Our youth often believe that everyone who are on their social
media friends’ lists are actually their friends. This belief makes them susceptible to
being lured by a nefarious adult to a dangerous meeting. As adults we can take action to try to
prevent this by:
- Teaching our children not to chat with or accept as a friend anyone that they don’t know.
- Discussing the dangers of going and meeting with someone they have met online.
- Making sure all privacy settings are set on ALL electronic devices,
- Monitoring our children’s Internet use and the apps they have on their phone (7 Dangerous Apps parents should know about for their kids), and
- Teaching them why it is important to tell you about any sexual or suspicious activity that occurs online, and then as a parent reporting it to law enforcement (Cyber Tip Line).
