Law enforcement officers have rescued a suspected trafficking victim who had been missing for a staggering seven years after her blood-curdling cries led authorities to a Michigan motel.
According to Michigan State Police reports, the woman – who had vanished without a trace in 2017 – managed to call her stepmother and convey her distressing situation of being held against her will at a motel in Inkster.
Despite the absence of an exact address, determined troopers swiftly initiated an investigation. Their pursuit led them to the Evergreen Motel in Inkster, where they could hear the unsettling cries that guided them to the Michigan woman.
Describing the haunting encounter, Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw recounted in an interview. “They described it as like a crying, kind of scr*eaming type of noise that lured them to that specific area.”
The woman was discovered on Monday, February 26.
Officers forcefully entered the motel room, bracing themselves for the unknown. Inside, they found the woman – now in her 30s – physically unharmed but surrounded by drugs and a firearm. “She was pretty distraught,” Shaw added.
While her physical safety was ensured, officials are now working to heal the psychological scars of her ordeal. After she was rushed to the hospital for medical attention and she is now receiving counseling. The victim has also been reunited with her family.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities are yet to divulge more details regarding the nature of the woman’s disappearance and have chosen to withhold her identity.
Human trafficking detectives are now working to unravel the circumstances surrounding her prolonged absence.
In the pursuit of justice, questions loom about the identity of the alleged perpetrator. While a suspect has been identified, authorities have yet to make an arrest.
“We’ll kind of look at what’s next, right… interview her if a crime did take place such as human trafficking or is it a domestic violence situation or is it different,” Shaw said. “I don’t want to use the word kidnapping like somebody grabbed her and took her to that place.
“It may have started out as a relationship that turns into being held against your will and being trafficked.”
Situated in the suburb of Detroit, Inkster has a population of roughly 25,700.
