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Teen Human Trafficking Victims Returned To Eugene, Police Investigation Ongoing

Tiffany Eckert

Two runaway girls have been returned to Eugene after police foiled what is being investigated as human trafficking.  As KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert reports, the case has prompted law enforcement to educate communities on the red flags of abuse and exploitation.

The girls were found last Thursday, with four other juvenile females, in a Portland hotel room. Police say there were also two male adults in the room, however no arrests have been made.

Shawn Adams is a captain with the Eugene Police Department. He says the investigation is ongoing.

“Any time you have juveniles involved in a human trafficking event that raises the bar for us quite a bit higher,” Adams says. “And when we have a 14 and 15 year old being trafficked out of a motel room, at least that’s what we believe at this point--that’s what we’re investigating, that’s a concern for us.”

Adams says there are recognizable signs of trafficking—if a child or adult appears to be controlled by a manager or ‘pimp,’ shows signs of abuse, or has tattoos that signify ownership, police want you to call 9-1-1 and report it.

Credit Tiffany Eckert

Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in a variety of media including television, technical writing, photography and daily print news before moving to the Pacific Northwest.
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