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Authorities rescue 17-year-old girl after being trafficked in Ventura County Californiafrom Mexico two months ago and texted 911 for help.
Thursday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced that on May 9, authorities rescued the girl after she sent messages to 911. The text message correspondence began with a person who answered a call to a 911 communications center, according to the sheriff’s office, which added that the messages were received on Spanish and translated into English.
In the messages, the girl, who did not know where she and her captor were, was able to identify landmarks and provide other identifying information, authorities said. While the 911 dispatcher corresponded with the girl, other members of the communications center team relayed real-time information to authorities responding to the search.
After approximately 20 minutes of searching the Casitas Springs area, a community located about 86 miles from Los Angeles, authorities located the girl. She was evaluated and transferred to Ventura County Children’s Family Services until she can be reunited with her family. Authorities did not say whether the girl will remain in the United States or return Mexico.
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Gerardo Cruz of Veracruz, Mexico. Booked into pretrial custody, Cruz is charged with human trafficking, forcible rape, lewd acts on a child, luring and sexual penetration by force. He remains in custody with bail set at $500,000.
In their announcement, authorities welcomed the ability to send text messages to emergency call centers, adding: “This incident also used integrated translation technology, as the person taking the call only spoke English and the victim only spoke and wrote in Spanish. The caller was able to quickly interpret and sent a text response in English, which was quickly translated back into Spanish for the victim.”
California is one of the largest human trafficking hotspots in the US. According to the state prosecutor’s office. As of 2015, between 20 and 30% of human trafficking cases in California are reported annually to the National Human Trafficking Hotline participating children under 18 years of age.
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