A 12-year-old Texas woman who has been lacking for over per week might have been trafficked, police say

A 12-year-old woman who has been lacking for over per week from the Houston, Texas, space might have been trafficked, police stated, prompting an Amber Alert.

When E’minie Hughes first went lacking on February 22, it was believed she had left on her personal, a Houston police spokesperson advised CNN on Wednesday. However police have since obtained new data in the course of the course of their investigation that makes them consider that she would possibly have been trafficked, a police spokesperson stated.

Police haven’t stated what led them to suspect the woman was trafficked.

E’minie was final seen getting right into a dark-colored four-door Dodge pickup round 1:40 a.m. native time whereas carrying a white crop high and pink joggers, in response to the Amber Alert. She went lacking in Missouri Metropolis, which is inside the Houston metro, and remains to be believed to be in the identical space, police stated Thursday morning.

Houston police, in a post on X Thursday, stated that E’minie might be on a social media app often known as Tagged. The social media community “focuses on connecting folks for friendship or relationship via options like Browse, Meet Me and Stay,” in response to the platform’s web site.

Tagged’s guardian firm, The Meet Group, advised CNN that they’ve reached out to Houston legislation enforcement to supply help with the case.

“Our phrases and circumstances prohibit minors from utilizing our apps, and we make the most of each expertise and guide evaluation to assist test for minors who might have registered for our platform utilizing a false age,” the corporate stated. “Ought to we be made conscious of any makes an attempt to avoid our course of, we completely examine any report involving a potential minor person or baby exploitation.”

Police didn’t present additional particulars on what function the kid’s potential presence on Tagged might have performed within the investigation. CNN has reached out to the Houston Police Division for additional data on the investigation.

Mom says she woke as much as discover daughter gone

The woman’s mom, Shannon Williams, advised CNN affiliate KPRC that she final noticed her daughter earlier than mattress on Thursday, however she was gone by the point she awakened.

E’minie is believed to have solely taken an Android pill along with her, together with the garments she was carrying, the mom advised KPRC.

Williams advised the outlet she doesn’t know if E’minie might have been speaking with somebody on-line. The woman had stepped out for a stroll just some hours earlier than her disappearance, the mom stated.

“I pray and hope that she’s not in no sort of hurt’s approach,” Williams advised KPRC.

Of their final dialog, E’minie requested her mom to wake her up early for varsity the next day, Williams advised CNN affiliate KHOU.

About 460,000 youngsters go lacking within the US yearly, in response to a 2023 information launch from the Department of Justice. About 1 in 6 of the greater than 28,800 instances of youngsters reported lacking to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2023 had been seemingly victims of kid trafficking, in response to the nonprofit. Final yr, the middle obtained greater than 18,400 stories of potential baby trafficking.

Holly Priebe Sotelo, a social work professor at The College of Southern California, advised CNN that it’s necessary mother and father preserve “open communication” with their youngsters about establishing wholesome relationships and limits with others, particularly with these they meet on-line.

“It’s unattainable for fogeys to maintain up with the newest threats,” Sotelo stated. “Due to this fact, mother and father simply must provoke dialogues with their youngsters day by day about establishing wholesome boundaries.”

CNN’s Colin Jeffrey and David Williams contributed to this report.

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