Sex Traffickers often force other young girls to lure away young girls.

15-year-old Elena grew up in Santa Clara County but went missing in Stockton. She’d been missing for 3 days and her mother was frantic by the time we became involved. Finding Kids investigators counseled the family about missing children cases, about reporting to NCMEC, what to expect from law enforcement, and how we work. Our counsel regarding vetting tips led the family to a Motel 6 in Fairfield. Elena’s father got to the Motel 6 before either Finding Kids or law enforcement could arrive. When he got there, he saw Elena in the backseat of a car with a “scumbag” who was wearing rubber gloves and was able to quickly grab her out of the car. By then Elena’s mother and sister had arrived in another car so her father put Elena into their car and took off in pursuit of the suspects who were driving away. Law enforcement began the chase and was able to pull over the suspects and make an arrest. Elena was dazed and out of it, so our investigators encouraged the family to test her for drugs. She tested positive for benzodiazepine. Elena said her intentions had been to run away with a 13-year-old female friend, however this 13-year-old friend was actually a person of interest in the murder of another child. This is an ongoing investigation.