Texas Human Trafficking Victim Jumps From Truck to Escape Captors

Police in Cisco, Texas say a sex trafficking victim was able to jump from a truck and escape her captors Wednesday night, but that another woman who was in the truck may still be in danger.

According to a news briefing from the Cisco Police Department, emergency responders were called to an area of I-20 near a truck stop around 9 PM Wednesday, August 26. A caller had reported that a woman was seriously injured.

The woman told police she'd been kidnapped in El Paso, and that she'd hurt herself jumping from an 18-wheeler in which she'd been held captive since. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police did not release her identity or age, but said crisis workers are assisting her with care and placement.

"It is believed that the perpetrators intentions were to use the female in sex trafficking operations," police said.

The 18-wheeler was described as green truck with a white stripe pulling a white box type trailer. No license plate information was available.

Police say the truck was occupied by three men: two Cuban men and a white man. To make matters worse, they have reason to believe another woman was in the truck and could be in grave danger.

Investigators are asking that anyone who spots a truck matching the description above or might know anything helpful about this case call them at 629-1728.

I'm so relieved this woman escaped, but my heart breaks for the woman who wasn't able to. Let's hope that truck is found so she can be rescued and her captors brought to justice.

According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, there are around 25 million people currently enslaved worldwide (though I suspect the number is higher). They estimate there are 234,000 victims of labor trafficking in Texas alone at any given time, and 79,000 victims of youth and minor sex trafficking in our state at any given time.

If you've been the victim of human trafficking and you're reading this, please don't be afraid to reach out for help. Contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 (TTY 771), or text them at 233733. You can chat with someone at humantraffickinghotline.org/state/texas as well.

The U.S. Department of State's website has a list of indicators of human trafficking we should all watch out for, as well as questions to ask if you suspect human trafficking and resources for victims and people who suspect trafficking has occurred.

In the video below, Dr. Kanani Titchen shares a story about how she became aware of human trafficking in the U.S. and signs we should all watch for.