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A 15-year-old Texas girl was rescued by police 10 days after she was kidnapped at a basketball game while using the bathroom, then trafficked by pedophiles.
The unidentified teenager’s father raised the alarm shortly after she left to use the restroom and didn’t return to her seat at a Dallas Maverick game in the American Airline Center on April 8.
The girl’s family said they pleaded with Dallas police to investigate but the department failed to do so due to Texas Family Code Laws.
Those treat missing teenagers as runaways unless there is evidence of kidnapping. It is unclear if cops made any effort to track down surveillance footage of the girl’s abduction, further details of which have yet to be shared.
The victim was only tracked down by Oklahoma City Police at an Extended Stay America Hotel after a counter-trafficking nonprofit found her nude pictures on a prostitution website.
‘My heart breaks for the unimaginable things my daughter had to endure for the 11 days she was taken, and I am so glad she is safe as we work towards her recovery,’ the girl’s mother said in a statement.
Eight people have been arrested in connection to the crime, Fox News reported.
They were identified as Saniya Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Chevaun Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes, Karen Gonzales, Thalia Gibson, and Steven Hill.
The girl was found with convicted sex offender Kenneth Nelson. Karen Gonzales was the person who took the pictures. She has been charged with human trafficking and distribution of porn
A 15-year-old Texas girl was rescued by police after she was kidnapped at a basketball game and trafficked by pedophiles. The teenager’s father raised the alarm after she left to use the restroom and didn’t return to her seat at a Dallas Maverick game in the American Airline Center on April 8
The girl’s father immediately notified the stadium and security after the girl failed to return to her seat.
On the day of the abduction, she was seen leaving the arena with men. It is unclear why Dallas Police did not find probable cause of abduction. DailyMail.com has reached out to the department for comment.
The father was instructed by authorities to return home. Despite calling daily for an investigation to be opened, the family attorney said that Dallas Police refused to do any effort to find the girl.
‘My daughter went missing in the city of Dallas, this is a Dallas case, but they refused to open a case for her,’ the father said, local news station KFOR reported
Six days after the kidnapping, the family reached out to the Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative nonprofit, which tracked down the girl’s nude pictures on a prostitution website and alerted Oklahoma Police.
The victim was found at an Extended American Hotel in Oklahoma City – 200 miles from where she was abducted (File photo)
Sarah Hayes and Thalia Gibson were also arrested in connection to the crime
Melissa Wheeler and Steven Hill allegedly participated in the trafficking
Naked pictures of the girl were posted on the website on April 14.
According to an affidavit obtained by KFOR, Karen Gonzales was the person who took the pictures. She has been charged with human trafficking and distribution of porn.
The victim was found at an Extended American Hotel in Oklahoma City – 200 miles from where she was abducted.
Police raided the hotel and found the girl and convicted sex offender Kenneth Nelson in a room that had been rented with someone else’s ID.
‘A number of these people played a role in getting this girl trafficked for sex, whether it was taking pictures as one of them did or simply placing ads as another one did,’ Oklahoma City Police Department spokesperson Gary Knight said.
‘There were several people involved with not only this girl, but others,’ he said. ‘But we did everything we could to find this girl.’
Chevaun Gibson and Shaniya Alexander were among eight arrested people in connection with the abduction and trafficking of the 15-year-old girl
The heartbroken family of the girl has slammed Dallas police, the American Airline Center and the American Extended Stay hotel for not actively working to prevent such a traumatic experience.
Zeke Fortenberry, the family’s attorney said in a statement: ‘This victim’s life will forever be changed. We hope to hold accountable those responsible and create change within these organizations so that this never happens to any other child.
‘The systems and organizations involved in this case continually failed the victim. She should never have had contact with the man at the Mavericks game.
‘The Dallas Police should have worked quickly to investigate leads and locate the teenager before she was trafficked to Oklahoma.
‘The Extended Stay America hotel in Oklahoma City put profits ahead of people by turning a blind eye to the sexual exploitation occurring right before their eyes.’
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