VICTIM
STORIES
Katie's Story
Steven's Story
Marie's Story
Sarabeth's Story
Jayden Frisbee's Story
THE DARK SIDE OF THE
SUNSHINE STATE.
Florida is the 3rd most popular place for human trafficking in the United States of America (after California and Texas).
Broward County is the 2nd most popular for human trafficking in the State of Florida.
The average age of entry into human trafficking is 12-14 years old.
Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the world - more lucrative than selling drugs and selling guns.
MARINA RALPH
The only person who might have known what happened to 16 year old, Marina, was her friend at school - but now, both girls are dead.
Marina was close with her mom but her father was not
part of her life. By age 13 she was pregnant. She terminated the pregnancy. Shortly thereafter, she was raped by a man she met through friends.
She was in the Jr. ROTC program at Fort Lauderdale High School with a friend Zoe. Zoe drew Marina into the world of sex trafficking.
16 year old Marina Ralph, who had fallen into the hands of a drug dealer and pimp, was found dead at the Extended Stay America on West McNab Road on October 4, 2019, from an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl.
SOPHIE REEDER
She was 15 when she left; if alive, she’s 21 now.
Sophie lived in east Fort Lauderdale on the Citrus Isles. Sophie left her home at just after midnight on May 20, 2017, and is believed to be a victim of child sex trafficking. She was known to go for long walks, had left the house in the evening, after her father went to sleep. Her room was still empty the next morning, but he thought she might be at friend’s house.
When she didn’t return he reported her disappearance to the police. He said a woman at the station reassured him that “they usually come back within a week.”
A few days later, the police put out a missing child poster. In it, the agency hinted that Sophie was troubled, saying she “suffers from undiagnosed depression and anxiety.”
Despite offering a $25,000 reward, there are no leads or suspects. Sophie Reeder is still missing.
