Saved in America offers its services free of charge to parents and guardians trying to find their missing children. This includes offering the expertise of many former law enforcement officers as well as those who have spent their careers in military specialty service. All of these professionals volunteer their time, free of charge. All SIA volunteers are also licensed private investigators. This distinction means that they know exactly what to do legally to help out in each case, as well as work closely with law enforcement within the area. They do not in many cases complete the actual rescue but do a lot of the surveillance and reconnaissance work necessary to track down and find the missing child and then hand it over to law enforcement.

Why Finding Missing Children Isn’t Easy

Today’s human trafficking industry looks much different than kidnappings in years past. There is usually not a snatch-and-grab event like in the movie Taken where a kid is forced from their home or off the side of the road. Instead, they are lured out of their homes and away from their support systems by highly skilled and immensely motivated predators. These criminals are part of a profitable evil triad made up of street gangs, prison gangs, and drug cartels. In many cases, these predators will seek out the most vulnerable kids. For example, those who are in emotional distress, have family instability, are in the foster care system, or are homeless, or those with mental health issues are more vulnerable to their games. 

The Cost of a Rescue

Of course, no price tag could be put on the value of human life. However, there is a real cost when it comes to the equipment needed and the man-hours spent to track down and find a missing girl who is believed to be a victim of the human trafficking industry. SIA is based in California, so within that state, the average cost to rescue a child comes to around $6,250, and when the child is taken out of state, that number jumps up to $12,000. Keep in mind that no families are ever charged by SIA for their services. All their equipment and transportation costs are covered as part of donations to this organization.