Family of girl trafficked at Mavs game speaks out
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The parents of a North Texas teen have a warning to share: human sex trafficking can happen to your family. This after their daughter went to a Mavs game and disappeared.
"Our daughter, she loves going to the games. Especially at this age," said stepfather Kyle Morris, who attended the April 8 game with her. But the 15-year-old left for the restroom just before halftime and never came back.
"I kept looking over to the entrance of our section to see if she was coming back in," he said.
Surveillance video showed the teen in this garage near the American Airlines Center, leaving with an unidentified man. It would be another 10 days before she was found 200 miles away.
The family's attorney told CBS 11 the teen was lured out of the AAC under false pretenses by a sex trafficking ring. Bianca Davis, CEO of anti-trafficking agency "New Friends, New Life" said trafficking typically begins with grooming on social media.
"It's not necessarily something where there was a random situation happening or kidnapping in the streets," she said. "I think if we're looking for white vans in a parking lot, that we've missed it."
The Morrises said their daughter had left home before, but this was different. They contacted the Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative, who found her on April 18 in Oklahoma City.
"As soon as I walked in the room, it was like, 'Daddy!' Morris said. "She started crying, and I walked up and tried to be strong for her."
She is now on the road to recovery, and three people have been charged with human trafficking and other offenses. Davis wants all parents to know that awareness and open communication are the best defenses.
"Who are her friends? Where's she going when she's not in school? It's something that is so subtle, and we really have to have our antennas up before a moment like the Mavs game happens."
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 888-373-7888, or text 233733.
