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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUPDATE: Eight Arrested After Teen Snatched at Dallas Mavericks Game
Eight people have been arrested in Oklahoma City for allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old Texas girl, who was abducted at a Dallas Mavericks game last month when she left her father to go and use the bathroom.
The girls family is also demanding answers from Texas police about why they refused to investigate their daughters disappearance and were forced to locate her themselves with the assistance of the Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative (TXCTI)a nonprofit organization that was able to track down nude images of the girl on a prostitution website.
The teen went to the bathroom at the American Airlines Center on April 8 and never returned, her familys attorney Zeke Fortenberry of the Fortenberry Firm, PLLC said in a release, obtained by Fox News.
She was missing for 10 days until Oklahoma City law enforcement located her at an Extended Stay America hotel roughly 200 miles away on April 18.
The Oklahoma City Police Department has arrested Saniya Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Chevaun Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes, Karen Gonzales, Thalia Gibson and Steven Hill in connection to the trafficking case. Gibson is charged with offering to engage in prostitution; Nelson, Hayes and Gonzales are charged with human trafficking and distribution of child pornography; Hill is charged with rape; Gibson and Alexander have felony warrants; and Wheeler has a robbery warrant.
Mr Fortenberry said despite the familys pleas to the Dallas Police Department, authorities refused to investigate the case citing Texas Family Code laws, which consider missing juveniles to be runaways unless there are circumstances which appear as involuntary such as a kidnapping or abduction.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/eight-arrested-after-snatching-teen-at-dallas-mavericks-game?ref=home
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Texass needs to seriously update its so-called "Family Code"
PittBlue
(4,227 posts)And the police would not investigate?
Ridiculous.
DURHAM D
(32,611 posts)So it is not safe to go to an NBA game if you are a female. Glad my days of going to sporting events are over. Pretty sure the Mavs had cameras everywhere.
niyad
(113,552 posts)who refused to investigate, and the perps, receive everything they deserve.
jmbar2
(4,906 posts)They look like meth addicts. Can't believe it took an outside group to figure this out.
Ace Rothstein
(3,183 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)But one does have to wonder how someone could be legit 'abducted' from a basketball game with 1000's of people around, and security everywhere?
Seems likely she left willingly with these people, for whatever reason, and only found out later what horrors they had in store for her.
haele
(12,676 posts)To be someone official saying she won something and they were going to take her to get ready for a half-time or break event, or there was something wrong with her dad, or something like that.
Especially if the teen has been raised to be obedient or otherwise sheltered.
The group probably scoped out out likely kids that were at the game and picked her because she was there only with her father, instead of with siblings, friends, or several family members that could possibly protect her.
I'm glad they were able to rescue her and arrest the gang. Who knows how many other kids they've kidnapped and trafficked.
Haele
ggma
(708 posts)There were eight of them. Ever been surrounded by three or four people who hustle you out of a place? It didn't have to be the entire group; just enough of them to keep her confused until she could she was far enough away from safety that she could be snatched up.
This seems like victim blaming.
ggma
reACTIONary
(5,771 posts)... leaving with one man after the game ended. My assumption is that the ight were part of the gang that were holding her after the abduction.
ggma
(708 posts)I'm not combative, just a gut reaction, honestly.
We alright?
ggma
reACTIONary
(5,771 posts)reACTIONary
(5,771 posts)Response to Hugh_Lebowski (Reply #5)
wnylib This message was self-deleted by its author.
jalan48
(13,883 posts)harumph
(1,913 posts)jalan48
(13,883 posts)oldsoftie
(12,597 posts)Sugarcoated
(7,728 posts)Damn
nakocal
(555 posts)from sex trafficking.
Submariner
(12,509 posts)because, if not, I bet my SS check they would it again, only kill the girl this time when shes used up and bury the evidence.
stopdiggin
(11,360 posts)kudos to the non-profit that was able to locate the teen.
Mariana
(14,860 posts)Video recording appeared to show she left voluntarily with someone. She may have been threatened into going quietly, she may have been convinced he was some kind of authority figure, or she may even have been groomed online ahead of time to believe this person was a friend.
stopdiggin
(11,360 posts)but there's also some detail and circumstance here than wants clarification. Odd factors.
Liberal In Texas
(13,574 posts)abducted. It might wake some parents up to be more alert or even be a cautionary tale about what to be wary about for other young teenagers.
Mariana
(14,860 posts)They may not even know all of the details yet.
FeelingBlue
(682 posts)This is horrifying. For being so pro-life in Texas, they sure impersonate people who dont care about humanity. At all.
barbtries
(28,811 posts)they are anti choice, anti abortion, anti women. please stop conceding that identifier to such people.
BadgerMom
(2,771 posts)The Texas Taliban will ensure a forced birth.
And, even with no pregnancy, my god, what a nightmare for this poor child and her family.
LeftInTX
(25,548 posts)canetoad
(17,183 posts)On reading the OP. Some states have written the primer on traumatising women then rubbing the trauma into their hurting bodies.
DFW
(54,436 posts)Indict them for being part of the ring, because I sure can't explain their indifference any other way.
yardwork
(61,703 posts)Wonder if this is connected with what the Trump administration started at the border. Human trafficking works in networks.
Baitball Blogger
(46,757 posts)KS Toronado
(17,316 posts)SmittyWerben
(823 posts)Execute all 8 and move on. Also, execute child rapists. Place rapists in prison for 10 years period. Repeat offenders die. Sexual violence has been allowed to go softly punished for too long. I am fucking fed up with this shit.
Deuxcents
(16,330 posts)Have any of them a soul?
Rebl2
(13,551 posts)police are in on trafficking women? Why would they refuse to investigate. She was kidnapped!
Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)and because she wasn't from Dallas, but I think yeah.
Rebl2
(13,551 posts)What the hell is Texas family code. We dont take your kid away from you no matter what you do to them. If they run away or get kidnapped, well thats your problem.
Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)Oh yes we will!
orangecrush
(19,617 posts)IronLionZion
(45,528 posts)For tracking down this girl through the online child porn images these monsters posted to sell this underage girl to creepy strangers.
https://www.txcti.org/
It's time to turn TexASS blue and change some important policies in that state. Like this one:
I don't know what the girl's family looks like but I guarantee they don't look like the usual missing people who get tons of media attention.
Traildogbob
(8,797 posts)Those Meth heads raped her, according to GQP Rep Rickets, its a blessing from God is she is pregnant, and she has to carry the meth baby to term. And the Meth heads get visitation privileges and when that child is around 7-8 and female, they can rape her as well. Gods blessing throughout the whole nightmare, as per GQP. I hope that Father gets the justice every Decent father would want for their daughter. I will spare you MY idea of justice. Id have to relinquish my liberal membership b/c of violent tendencies.
ancianita
(36,133 posts)spanone
(135,873 posts)WHAT THEE FUCK.
Auggie
(31,186 posts)C Moon
(12,221 posts)Grokenstein
(5,727 posts)Victim's father: "Help! My daughter's been kidnapped!"
Texas cops: "Nah, she's a runaway. Now f$#@ off or I'll arrest ya, I'm tryin' t' sleep, here."
paleotn
(17,956 posts)Celerity
(43,497 posts)Lucid Dreamer
(584 posts)localroger
(3,630 posts)58Sunliner
(4,397 posts)They are also told lies and threatened with more abuse.
Takket
(21,625 posts)looking for an abortion and also a gender reassignment surgery. Abbott would have brought down the entire state on finding her.
LeftInTX
(25,548 posts)malaise
(269,157 posts)Last edited Sun May 22, 2022, 05:29 PM - Edit history (1)
For starters, warn family and friends to not let your children and their friends go to these bathrooms alone.
I am ready to give up on this planet.
Sue them properly!
Ziggysmom
(3,412 posts)he would stand right outside the ladies room door and wait for me. If I was taking too long he was not afraid to yell inside, "Hey, did you fall in?". I used to hate him shadowing me like that, but this sad story makes me thankful for his wisdom. Texas has become a shithole thanks to the GQP. It's time people wake up and vote them out.
Joinfortmill
(14,456 posts)lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)She ought to apply in Dallas. She'd fit right in.
Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)This happened in DALLAS. TEXASS. Although Oklahoma is also a sh*thole state.
lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)...
Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)We have sh*thole STATES right here!
Mysterian
(4,591 posts)How can humans have so much capacity to do evil?
Jake97
(19 posts)Arazi
(6,829 posts)Just my hunch, but the youngest women in that group were also probably groomed and went with their abductors willingly sometime in the recent past.
Probably now hooked on drugs and too ashamed to go back. And desperate enough to bring in another sex slave for revenue for their habit
hlthe2b
(102,357 posts)Uggh. Unless you post a citation or source I find this incredibly inappropriate.
Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)people misrepresent themselves online EVERY SINGLE DAY. It could be your kid or grandkid they're talking to and you not know. The kid thinks they're another kid a lot of times.
wnylib
(21,606 posts)Is it reliable or just speculation?
If she did agree to go with someone, did she think it was just a friendly meet? Or do you think that she agreed to be part of a sex ring?
Does agreeing to meet someone justify being kidnapped and raped?
Scrivener7
(51,004 posts)Not kidding. And when called on it, his reply was, "I'm just asking questions so this doesn't happen again."
Right out of the Hannity handbook.
Victim blaming creeps.
Scrivener7
(51,004 posts)Skittles
(153,193 posts)just curious
IronLionZion
(45,528 posts)Lonestarblue
(10,063 posts)Governor Abbott asked the Texas Rangers to investigate, and they found no abuse. A real investigation found abuse and an employee was fired. The Texas foster system is noted for physical and sexual abuse. Republicans who claim to be so focused on family values have done nothing about it for decades, other than letting it get worse. And now theyve loosed the hounds of hell on families with LGBTQ kids so they can investigate them for child abuse for supporting their childrens gender choices and potentially sending those children to foster care hell. We have a lot of evil perverts masquerading as religious saints in Texas!
Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)Demovictory9
(32,475 posts)Jilly_in_VA
(9,995 posts)is the FBI gonna drop the hammer on that maggot? We've been waiting nigh onto 7 years!!!
calimary
(81,459 posts)I wont think of that states name any other way from now on.
orangecrush
(19,617 posts)But in this case I'd make an exception
Haggis 4 Breakfast
(1,454 posts)Let me guess.
Despite desperate please to the DPD, Texas authorities refused to investigate . . . .
This 15 year old girl was NOT white, with blonde hair with blue eyes.
So, of course she must be a runaway.
ZonkerHarris
(24,254 posts)Meowmee
(5,164 posts)Tg her family and that group found her. The police need to be sued for not properly investigating a kidnapping. Surely there were security cams that could have been viewed to see who abducted her etc.
Last dont let your children out of your site at all. No matter your age or sex, at such events and everywhere really, be careful and do things together.
Emile
(22,906 posts)Republican monsters will force her to carry it to birth.
Response to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)
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