CBS News 8 posted a piece on our own Saved in America and how the former military specialists who were Navy SEALs along with former law enforcement officers are coming together to save runaway girls and teens from sex trafficking. The team is made up of all-volunteer retired professionals who formally gave their lives to saving American lives. Today, they are using these skills honed over years of service to track down and find missing teens. This story is about one teen in particular Escondido who was missing at the time.

Escondido’s Case

The teen girl was last seen via a surveillance video in the company of a convicted sex offender. Saved in America was brought in by the frantic parents— free of charge— to use their skills and training to track down and find their missing daughter. According to founder Joseph Travers, law enforcement cannot keep up with the demand of finding every missing kid, as he stated “There’s not enough resources for the police to dedicate the right investigative resources to every runaway.” Thankfully, SIA has stepped in and is serving these families who are living through a nightmare-like scenario. It’s important to understand that if a runway teen is not found within the first 48 hours after they run away, there is a good chance that the teen will end up the victim of the sex trade. 

This Girl Was Found

Thankfully, the 15-year-old runaway was found and then went to an outpatient treatment center to recover. Travers explains that Saved in America does not perform the rescue itself but instead calls in local law enforcement to go in and rescue the child. He explains, “Once we see the girl, we then call law enforcement to come out. We set up a perimeter, and most of the time nobody even knows we’re there.” Travers also explains that the need for rehabilitation is necessary, especially when a girl falls victim to sex crimes and is not rescued before this happens. He goes on to say “If we get the girl before the trafficker, it’s a very short rehabilitation. If we don’t, then it becomes a long one to five years, maybe more.” This is simply because of the trauma these girls experience while in the trafficking ring. This is why time is key and SIA’s work is so necessary as finding runways fast is vital to them being saved not sold.