The Closest Call

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A few weeks ago my granddaughter went through a very horrific event when she along with 3 other young girls were almost abducted. Layla is visiting us over Christmas break and I asked her if she would mind sharing what happened so that I could remind others that sex trade in our country is alive and well no matter how far removed from our radar it is, or, how much we don’t want to think about it in our neighborhoods

The following is her story.


Layla had been out with a friend who had brought along her younger sister and her sister's friend. The destination was a store in a neighboring smaller community. The girls began to notice a car behind them driving erratically by speeding up to tailgate them and then backing way off several times. Layla said she was feeling nervous but was not panicking like the other girls and tried to keep the younger ones calm. Her friend began taking different turns to see if the car would follow. Once they realized they could not shake the car, Layla suggested that they find a place to stop and seek help.


The car steadily kept pace with the girls continuing to drive erratically. Soon they found a store that they could stop at and the car pulled in alongside them. Three of the girls bolted into the store but Layla stayed behind. She got out of the car and so did the driver of the other car. Layla described this woman as looking like a methamphetamine user with deep pitted sores on one side of her face. The woman began yelling reasons as to why the girls needed to go with her but her story kept changing. Layla said that she felt the need to stall the woman so that her friend could get help and call the police.


Long story short, Layla made it into the store and the store manager locked the girls inside. The woman began screaming at the manager to keep the girls there and that she would be back with others to get them. She left. At that point the police had been called and they arrived to take statements from the girls.


The woman was captured in the parking lot of another store. We have since learned that this woman is part of a human trafficking ring in Utah. She is currently being charged (from a different incident) with 4 counts of human trafficking, child abduction and drug possesion.


Human trafficking is a 32 billion dollar a year business. Our family is very aware that had this ended any other way, life as we know it would have come to a screeching stop. My sharing is a simple reminder to myself and others that we should be more alert when we’re out. This happened to my granddaughter in a public mall type setting with dozens of people around. Layla is doing well but the other three girls are now having a difficult time processing what happened to them that night..


There are more humans in slavery today than any other time in history! Layla is visiting us over Christmas break and I asked her if she would mind sharing what happened so that I could remind others that sex trade in our country is alive and well no matter how far removed from our radar it is, or, how much we don’t want to think about it in our neighborhoods