Denice Miracle surely lived up to her name when she essentially rescued two teenage girls from what law officials are calling a “human trafficking scheme.” It is for reasons like this article why the California sex offender registry is in place and going strong.
“It was a first-class ticket. It was very expensive. I told a supervisor, ‘I’m going to call the sheriff. It just doesn’t feel right to me,’” Miracle said.
On August 31, 2017, two young girls aged 15 and 17, approached Miracle at the ticket desk in the Sacramento International Airport in California- attempting to board a flight to New York.
The American Airlines agent found it odd that the minors were traveling without adult supervision or with any form of identification. She became extra suspicious when she noticed that the tickets, which were first class, were purchased online by a man later identified by police as “Drey.”
As it turns out, the young girls met Drey on Instagram, the popular social media platform, where he promised them $2000 to come out to New York for the weekend and model in a music video.
“We attempted to look him up on Instagram,” said Deputy Todd Sanderson. “Just a few minutes after our contact with him, he erased all of his profiles on social media.”
Fortunately, police were able to nip this scary situation in the bud and reunite them with their parents. They explained to the girls that this was not what they thought it was. When the girls became defensive and claimed that they “would not allow anything to happen that they didn’t want,” they got a cold, yet important reminder that they probably would not have a choice in the matter.
Human Sex Trafficking is Serious
Here in the United States and throughout the rest of the world, sexual predators exploit children, teens, women, and men by forcing them into sexual slavery. One of the most commonly used methods is a baited lure, much like the story above where a predator uses an online social media platform to woo unsuspecting victims with promises of money or fame. Just like the officer explained to the young ladies in the story above, once the victims step into the trap, there is not much they can do about it. Sex traffickers can be violent, ruthless, merciless captors that will stop at nothing to keep their captives under control.
How To Fight Human Trafficking
The first line of defense when it comes to fighting sexual predators is communication. If you and your loved ones that you are trying to keep safe talk openly about the risks that are involved by meeting up with strangers from social media websites, it can help. In many cases, just knowing the facts is enough to save a life. Always remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Child sex traffickers can be charming, nice, and seem like the best friend in the world until it is too late to back away from them. Stay diligent, keep watch, and always look for red flags when anybody that you don’t know approaches you.
***Registered Offenders List is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and resources to its visitors regarding registered sex offenders that live near you.
