While Olivia’s parents knew where she was, they were not at all relieved. They could see in her body language and hear in her voice that something was very wrong. They felt that time was urgent.
They had written to the university and were referred to the legal counsel, who was not willing to speak because of the risk and fear of a lawsuit. The parents did not want to sue anyone, they just wanted help for their daughter and to warn the university about other students who might be targeted.
Olivia’s parents had gone to their state and federal elected officials. They told them of the problem, wrote letters and visited their offices. Each time they had the sympathy of those who met them but no further help. Along their journey, a district attorney who had attended my training long ago gave them my number.
They called me on a sunny afternoon while I was out riding my horse, Bonny. I still remember the tone of the mother’s voice as she said hello and began to tell me who gave her my number. I knew immediately that she had a child in trouble. There is a sound in the voices that I have learned to recognize over the years. It is an instant communication of urgency and pain.
I got off my horse, took notes as she spoke and said I would call her back after speaking to my team.
We did a social media dive and reviewed all the information the parents sent. They had some particularly good skills at gathering and organizing the info that we could then utilize. From there we developed a plan. I spoke with my team and then called the parents.
The saddest part of the plan is that the parents had no actual role to play in it. They, however, were willing to cede all ego and do whatever it took to free Olivia, even if that meant she never knew they caused it to happen.
In many cases, I have found that the trafficker physically and mentally isolates the victim from their strong family members. They usually then make use of the weakest family member to maintain just enough contact simultaneously keeping a veil of confusion regarding the reason the victim has departed from her life.
This person usually sees their role as being helpful although they will quite often be divisive regarding parental efforts. In most cases this is due to the level of misinformation spread by the trafficker while maintaining a deliberate distance between the family members. Over the years we have learned how to use this person, this week link to our benefit.
In the case of Olivia, we were able to take advantage of this weakest link in the family to become our strongest asset. Olivia had chosen her Aunt Cindy as her family contact. Aunt Cindy was this divisive force in the family and actually thought that Olivia’s mother was the root cause in Olivia’s estrangement from the family which enabled her to sell herself online. Of course, Ronny had nothing to do with that in Aunt Cindy’s eyes.
It was Olivia’s mom’s fault and Cindy even went to the extreme of slapping her in the face in front of Olivia’s younger sister to show her “disapproval” of her treatment of Oliva. Cindy, while not being the ideal contact person for Olivia due to her nature, ended up being ideal for us to manipulate. Aunt Cindy never knew we used her. She was just doing what she always does- we sent her misinformation through another family member that allowed us to create the escape situation.
She was just doing what she does- we sent her misinformation through another family member that allowed us to create the escape situation.
We were able to instill in Cindy that the traffickers had manipulated her into violence with extraordinarily little effort. We employed a strategic plan that enabled us to use the weakest person in the family to be the best hope for Olivia’s eventual freedom.
Posing undercover without Cindy knowing of our existence, she was used to send misinformation to the trafficker (Ronny) to make the rescue. Family members were used to leak information to Cindy regarding Olivia’s desire to leave her oppressive situation. Through our manipulations, circumstances regarding Ronny made it possible for Olivia to leave. Aunt Cindy “just happened” to be nearby at the right moment.
We planted a “friend” to get close to Olivia and he kept us informed of what was taking place so our timing would be perfect. Ronny was suddenly detained on drug charges. Simultaneously, Aunt Cindy came rolling into town and Olivia’s new “friend” gave her a ride to meet Aunt Cindy. This entire process took nine months from inception to rescue.
Unfortunately, Olivia did not return home, but she was free and was taken to the home of another estranged family member where she could detox from her experience. She never told her parents what happened, and they never pushed. They were just so relieved she was alive and free.
Olivia had some very deep traumas; she did not address them for about 2 years. She did finally get help. She is now married to a good man, and while she never finished the degree she had abandoned, she did pursue other education and became a physical therapist. She helps others now. She never fully reunited with her mother and father. The bad guy had successfully rewritten her memories and brain-washed her through sleep deprivation, hunger, and traumatization. This was a perfect formula to shatter a soul.
Her parents used what they learned to help other parents. There is a positive end to the story along with of course Olivia’s rescue and success in life. However, it is unacceptable that Olivia’s life was disrupted and detoured and estranged from her family.
I can hope that parents will read our 55 Things Parents and Grandparents Should Know. This will help them make informed parenting decisions for teens and young adults who are interacting online.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Grooming
55 Things Parents and Grandparents Should Know
This document informs parents on tactics of predators. It helps them make informed parenting decisions.