Columbus police help locate 14-year-old girl who was human trafficking victim in Michigan
Columbus police assisted in rescuing a 14-year-old girl from human trafficking in Michigan, the division announced Tuesday.
According to police, multiple tips had been received about a 14-year-old girl who had been taken by human traffickers. However, detectives were not able to confirm any information or locate the girl.
On Nov. 9, the girl's grandmother filed a missing persons report with Columbus police. A missing persons unit detective found information that the girl was in a Detroit suburb.
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Police said the detective, Charles Radich, then contacted police in Southfield, Michigan, and relayed the information about the girl potentially being a victim of human trafficking there.
Southfield police and the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force were able to coordinate efforts and locate the girl at a hotel in the Southfield area on Nov. 22.
The FBI's Detroit Human Trafficking Task Force also found hundreds of online advertisements on "illicit websites," Columbus police said.
A 30-year-old man from Texas has been identified in the case and charges are pending. The girl has been reunited with her family and is receiving assistance, police said.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Girl, 14, reported missing in Columbus, was human trafficking victim
