Two months ago, authorities rescued a 17-year-old girl who was trafficked from Mexico into Ventura County, California, and texted 911 asking for help.
On Thursday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced that authorities rescued the girl on May 9 after she sent a message to 911. It added that the information was received in Spanish and translated into English.
In the messages, the girl did not know where she and her kidnapper were, but she was able to identify landmarks and provide other identifying information, authorities said. While 911 dispatchers communicated with the girl, other communications center team members provided immediate information to authorities responsible for the search.
After about a 20-minute search, authorities found the girl in the Casitas Springs area, about 86 miles from Los Angeles. She was evaluated and transferred to Ventura County Children and Family Services until she could be reunited with her family. Authorities have not said whether the girl will remain in the United States or return to Mexico.
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Gerardo Cruz from the Mexican state of Veracruz. Cruz is being held in pretrial detention on charges of human trafficking, forcible rape, child molestation, seduction by force and sexual assault. He remains in custody on $500,000 bail.
In a statement, authorities praised the ability to send text messages to the emergency call center, adding: “This incident also utilized integrated translation technology as the operator spoke only English and the victim spoke and wrote only in Spanish. The operator was able to quickly Translate and respond to text messages in English, then quickly re-translate them into Spanish to the victim.
California is one of the largest sites of human trafficking in the United States, according to the California Attorney General’s Office. Since 2015, 20 to 30 percent of human trafficking cases reported annually to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in California involve children under the age of 18.
