WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A 12-year-old North Texas girl who was the subject of a 48-hour AMBER Alert is now in protective custody while investigators try to determine if her second disappearance in less than a year is a runaway or child trafficking case.
When the AMBER Alert was initially started on Wednesday, police said the girl had gone missing in Waxahachie.
Tips generated by the alert led investigators to addresses in Denton County on Thursday. Which is 70 miles from where she was reported missing. An additional tip received by the Waxahachie Police Department Friday morning led Dallas Police to the Super 7 Inn at W. Camp Wisdom and Independence Drive. Officers say that when they knocked on the door of Room 134 the 12-year-old girl answered the door, alone.
“When the officers knocked on the door she opened the door, she was cooperative with law enforcement. There were no altercations or confrontations with her,” said John Perez with Homeland Security Investigations. “They immediately took her into safety and escorted her out of that area back to the Dallas Police Department Headquarters where we could make sure she was safe.”
Perez says the girl is now receiving support from the Ellis County Child Advocacy Center. Homeland Security Investigators say it's still investigating the incident – which is classified as a rescue – and no arrests have been made. They would not reveal whether they believe the girl is a victim of human trafficking, whether she is a runaway, or whether there are additional suspects they are trying to find.
In July, the same girl, then just 11 years old, disappeared and was later recovered in what was considered a human trafficking investigation.
“It just breaks my heart if she was trafficked. She’s 12. She’s still a baby. She’s still a baby. And it just breaks my heart,” said a resident of the Super 7 Inn as investigators conducted a search of the hotel room.
“At this point it is ongoing and we are trying to identify leads and work through those leads to build the best investigation we can,” said Perez when asked to clarify if this is a runaway or trafficking case.
Meanwhile, investigators praise the fact that the Amber Alert system worked.
“Without the help of the media we would not have been able to locate her as quickly as we did,” said Mary Magness, Deputy Special Agent in Charge at the DFW Office of Homeland Security Investigations.
Quick answers to the reasons for her disappearance – is what they’re searching for next.
WFAA has removed the girl's name from this story, as she is a juvenile and the full circumstances of her disappearance and recovery were not yet known.
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