Kidnapping and human trafficking can happen anywhere

HARNEY COUNTY(Released by the Harney County Sheriff’s Office)-We’ve all seen the TikToks and the warnings across Facebook about kidnapping and human trafficking.

Living in Harney County, we often think that this can’t happen here, but the reality is that we have multiple highways going through the area with people frequently traveling through.

We’d like to take a moment to point out that not all perpetrators look suspicious or scary. They can look very approachable and “normal,” sometimes dressed nicely, or sometimes appearing like a loving grandparent.

This week in Hines, an approachable looking middle-aged woman, banged on the windows and attempted to get into a vehicle that had two girls (ages 12 and 14) in it after seeing the 14-year-old move from the front seat to the back of the vehicle. When this woman noticed one of the girls on the phone calling for help, she left.

We’re not sharing this to scare you, but to initiate conversation and awareness at the request of the family involved. It’s important to have conversations with your family about paying attention to surroundings as well as not speaking to people you don’t know, even if they seem “normal and nice,” and to know where your kids are.

If you find yourself in this situation, call 911.

We’re also sharing this resource:

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞

𝟐𝟒 𝐇𝐫. 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: 𝟏-𝟖𝟖𝟖-𝟑𝟕𝟑-𝟕𝟖𝟖𝟖

𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭: 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 (𝟐𝟑𝟑𝟕𝟑𝟑); 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 “𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏” 𝐨𝐫 “𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎”

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Elkhorn Media Group