Are you sure?
Posted on 05/12/2022 9:28:18 PM PDT by Trillian
A North Texas teenager disappeared after going to the bathroom at a Dallas Mavericks game. A week later, her parents found her on nude advertisements for sex trafficking online in Oklahoma City.
The harrowing incident is the basis for a lawsuit by the family against numerous organizations they said could have stopped the crime but didn't.
The 15-year-old went to the game with her father on April 8 at the American Airlines Center. She went missing after leaving to go the bathroom right before halftime, and surveillance video captured her leaving with a man.
The parents of the teenager said they were able to discover her whereabouts after seeing her photograph in nude online advertisements selling sex.
A week and a half later on April 18, police found the girl in a room at an Extended Stay America hotel more than 200 miles away from the arena.
"She was gone missing a total of 11 days," said attorney Zeke Fortenberry, who is representing the family.
Fortenberry's office released a statement identifying the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Police Department, and the American Airlines Center as groups that could have intervened to protect the girl but didn't.
He says that the father tried to file a missing person's report with the police but they told him to contact the North Richland Hills Police, where he lives. He says he was told to go home. When he called the North Richland Hills Police, the father says they were unable to help because the incident occurred in Dallas.
"The family was frustrated," Fortenberry explained. "After days of not getting any information from the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Police not taking any action, the family sought out the help of this agency in Houston.”
He says the family was able to find their daughter through the help of the human trafficking agency Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative in Houston through the use of face-recognition technology.
“That agency was able to help them locate the photograph of their daughter online within the same day," Fortenberry added.
The Oklahoma City Police were able to rescue the girl and arrest eight people involved in the case.
Fortenberry said the Dallas police didn't even ask the father for a photograph of their daughter.
In response, the Dallas police said that they had searched the arena and sent the law enforcement code that explained their actions that night.
"Texas Family Code(51.03 b. 3) dictates that missing juveniles are investigated as runaways unless there are circumstances which appear as involuntary such as a kidnapping or abduction. Those cases per code are to be filed where the juvenile resides."
The North Richland Hills Police said that they had entered the information of the missing girl into the national missing person database within a few hours of receiving the report.
Fortenberry says they didn't do enough to save the girl and lessen the assault she received. "Any time she could have been rescued from that sooner would have been better," he added.
He also said that someone at the hotel ignored the signs of abuse when she was taken there.
"When a 40-something year old man walks in with a 15-year-old girl and rents multiple hotel rooms and then there is traffic coming in and out of those rooms, those are red flags," Fortenberry explained.
He also claims that the man was able to attend the game with a fake ticket sold to him by a person known for selling fake tickets.
The eight suspects were arrested on charges including human trafficking, distribution of child pornography, and rape.
There’s nothing in the story telling how the abduction of the girl actually took place. Bathrooms like that are usually crowded with witnesses, lines outside, etc.
Good grief, people. Teach your kids to yell, scream, kick, thrash and make a scene. You’d do that if you lived in bear country.
(Or was there some reason the girl *wanted* to go?)
“Surveilance video captured her leaving with a man.”
If this girl is the type to walk off with a man she just met,
with her Dad still waiting in the seating area for her, she probably won’t want to stay at home and act as though the 11 days missing had never happened. She may be the type of 15 y/o girl who wants people to think she’s 25.
If she is determined to be ‘a loose Lady’, her parents may have no other choice than to make a deal with her. Keep your life, and your actions in order at least until you’re 20 years old, can move out, pay your own bills and not be our legal responsibility anymore.
**Question: Can parents legally request ‘Emancipation’ from a teenager who doesn’t wish to be part of the family anymore? I don’t think they can.
Or someone pretending to be an authority figure (cop, security guard, etc..) and telling her something happened to her family member and to come with them.
I tell anyone who will listen this.
They think I’m crazy.
Totally agree - and no trace would ever be found.
Did she leave voluntarily? Who knows what lie she might have been told, like a close girlfriend needs to see her away from her Dad, or the man posed as a cop and told her she was being taken in for questioning and could call her father from the patrol car.
Concur. Something fishy here.
My kids can do real damage. They could even at 15.
Make a pervert look for a softer target.
Not really sure what the Mavericks could have done unless they provide the security for their events rather the arena or private security. Of course, they do employ some very tall people who are able to see over the crowd in the lobby but I suspect they were consumed with what was happening courtside rather than looking out for stray teenagers.
Are you sure?
We want names (of criminals)..
I hope they didn’t addict her to any drugs...
Well, we can hope, right?
I Pray for her and her family.
What happened in the first case?
How do you come to that conclusion?
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Because the parents knew enough to contact that sex trafficking organization for help right away.
I just believe they knew from the get-go, there were probably prior incidents, that this girl was a runaway.
In any event, I’m glad they found her. I hope this girl will be able to straighten out her life.
So did she leave with this guy voluntarily? Hard to imagine she could be abducted against her will at a crowded sports arena without people noticing.
I will grant you that the story is missing crucial facts, and that the scenario of the 15-year-old girl simply "walking away" with her abductor stinks to high heaven.
Unless she is is mentally retarded, or he was pointing a gun at her...
Regards,
The person was caught after raping and murdering a young woman in Austin, TX. He told police about the prior rape and murder, and his friend who took part.
He was found guilty, and given life in prison for his crimes. I think his companion who took part in the first murders and rapes was also given a life sentence. At that time there was no life in prison without parole. However, I think the parole board has turned them down for parole when his hearings have come up.
Texas now has life without parole which is a good thing. Creepy weirdo next town over raped and murdered a 90 year old woman. Then got out on parole. Someone actually married that creepy perv granny murdering rapist after he was released from prison. 🤮🤯🤮
What!?
It happens a lot. He could have told her he would kill her or her family if she didn’t cooperate. Like someone said above he could have told her they were an authority figure.
Kids/everyone needs to understand that they need to FIGHT!
DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE KIDNAPPED!
SCREAM, BITE, KICK, PUNCH, TOTALLY FREAK OUT!
One person, probably not two people could handle someone who is in FREAK OUT mode.
Also, ignore threats, ignore weapons, they are likely BLUFFING. Even if you get shot/stabbed you are better off where you are able to get treatment.
You go along with, fall for their lies, and you are likely to be KILLED after you are raped and/or tortured.
Whatever the case, he was trafficking an underage girl - lock him up and throw away the key.
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