Sin City

“Sin City” as it is aptly nicknamed is another name for the infamous Las Vegas, Nevada. While there is an abundance of tourist attractions—like shows and restaurants— the city itself is a hotbed for sex trafficking along with gambling, prostitution and more. Suffice to say that within the confines of the city there is a dark, underbelly that demands to be exposed. Thankfully, at Saved In America, we are up to the challenge and recently launched a team of private investigators to take over the city to assist in the recovery of missing, runaway and trafficked children. Not merely in Las Vegas, but throughout the nation, our nonprofit organization has assisted in the recovery of more than 250 children from the horrible evils of sex trafficking since 2014. 

Founder Joseph A. Travers says the following about the very real threat to teens that exists in cities like Las Vegas in particular:

“This is real. A drug trafficker can only sell his product once, but he can sell a girl over and over again.”

This potential outcome of being sold over and over again is the fate so many runaways face and one that Saved In America is so desperately fighting to overcome. Travers went on to explain that even though the police force might want to look for runaways who might end up in the sex trafficking industry, they are far too burdened to give it the attention it deserves or demands. They do not have enough time or resources, and in the last year especially, many police officers have resigned, and/or major cities have defunded the police, leaving a bigger void. That is where Saved In America and operators help to fill in the gap with time, talent and resources to help vulnerable children and families in need.

 “Law enforcement, through no fault of their own, can’t go looking for runaways, because they have armed robberies and murders and rapes. We want to fill that gap.”

Travers’ hope of filling the gap that exists leaving all kids, but especially runaways, vulnerable to the sex trade industry, has met immense success. In April 2021, the SIA team coordinated with LVMPD Sergeant Homicide and Sex Crimes Bureau Missing Persons in Las Vegas to find seven missing teenage girls (mostly foster children). Just in one day’s efforts, the SIA team successfully gathered valuable intelligence on three missing girls in Las Vegas- although there were no recoveries, all evidence and intelligence was given to LVMPD to continue further investigation. Saved In America is expanding their mission to other cities across the country, thanks to the efforts of the more than 100 volunteers and reserves they have throughout the nation. Many of the SIA operators are former military, special operators and Navy SEALs. All operators must be licensed and insured private investigators and their background, experience and expertise makes them highly qualified and uniquely equipped to assist in the recovery of these at-risk children. #ChildSavedNotSold