Abigail’s folks were referred to me by a Private Investigator. He met me years ago at a training that I conducted for one of the Human Trafficking Task Forces that I led.
We held training for law enforcement, investigators, and attorneys. We knew that many of these professionals were seeing cases of Trafficking but were not aware of the laws and indicators of cases. That is one of the reasons I love training so much. We accomplish two things- our training helps professionals in their continuing education and development and their knowledge helps victims. This was a perfect example of that.
I received a call, and it began, “Dottie, this is R.J. I was at your training 4 years ago and I remembered you saying that trafficking cases often begin with a set of facts that just don’t make sense. That is why I am calling you today. I have a case with a set of facts that just do not make sense.”
R.J. and I discussed the facts and the “don’t make sense” parts of the case. I said “R.J, you are spot on, this does not make sense. I am so glad you called me about this case.”
R. J. was relieved. He really wanted to help this family and he needed someone to guide and direct him. In over 30 years of private investigation work, he had never come across a case like this before. Fortuitously, RJ and I immediately formed a cohesive team with the family.
Operation Rescue Abigail Had Begun
Thanks to R.J.’s comprehensive investigative skills we had a substantial amount of information right from the start. RJ had collected public records of all concerned parties, including Abigail. He had surveillance notes, video and still shots. Additionally, we had eyewitness statements from her roommate and others at the University. Plus, RJ had gathered all the necessary police reports.
We learned that Abigail had been recently cited at a strip club for stripping without a license. RJ discovered Kyle and Abigail’s marriage certificate for a civil marriage that took place in the local county Justice of the Peace.
Kelly, her roommate, brought up a critical point regarding Abigail’s behavior. She said that following the rape, Abigail believed she was forced to marry Kyle and had no choice. According to Abigail’s religious beliefs she could only marry the one man she ever has sex with. Thus, she had to marry Kyle!
Further, surveillance video showed Abigail and two other females about her age entering a mid-sized home on a cul-de-sac in a middle-income part of town. They rarely left the premises, and if they did leave it was in the evening hours and always escorted by two males.
While R.J. had all this information, he felt stymied and did not know what to do next. This was the perfect place for me to enter the case. I especially appreciated all the footwork that RJ had conducted. I loved that it was ready for me. All that work that takes time and patience had already been prepared and organized.
Meeting the Family
My next step was to meet Jenn and James, Abigail’s parents. After that initial meeting, I wanted to interview the extended family. It was important to compartmentalize the information and the questions we would have for each family member. Everyone would become a part of the team.
When I met Jenn and James, I first listened without interrupting, to both. If one were silent, I would prompt them to comment. They were a beautiful couple and wonderful parents to three children, Abigail being the oldest.
I next questioned them about the other children. How this was affecting them and if I could speak to them. It is especially important to speak to the younger siblings for many reasons. The most important thing is that the bad guys may target them as well. Each trafficked victim is worth a minimum of $300,000 a year to the criminals. So younger siblings and friends must be alerted and protected.
Another reason to speak to siblings is that they often have Intel that parents may be unaware of that they have inadvertently collected. Over the years, I have found that siblings gather info on each other, and they use it as leverage within the family. Meaning that they don’t always disclose what they know if they are not asked.
Like in many of my cases, the youngest sibling stepped up with some fantastic Intel. He knew two names that were not in our investigation materials. He also disclosed that Abigail had been calling her grandfather. No one had told her grandparents because the rest of the family was not aware that Abigail was in trouble. When her parents learned she was being prostituted, they decided not to tell anyone because they wanted Abigail to feel safe and whole when she returned home.
At that time, they had no concept of how difficult, tumultuous, and long her return would be. They were naïve to the amount of damage that would harm Abigail and the rest of her family. Not every case ends up with a happy ending.
Don’t miss the next issue Abigail Part 6 - The Long Road Back!