Aisling

 In April 2022, our daughter was lured away from a sports event she was attending with her father. What began as an invitation to "hang out" until the game ended turned into a nightmare. Instead of a fun night, she became a victim of rape, drugging, and local sex trafficking before being transported to another state and sold online for sex.

After 10 days, she was recovered in another state, but not before enduring significant trauma that left a profound impact on her life. However, she refuses to be defined by this tragedy. Instead, she is transforming her pain into something beautiful. While this horrific experience is part of her story, it does not encompass her entire journey, and her story is far from over. 

AISLING IS BORN OUT OF THIS TRAUMA

 When our daughter was recovered, we realized we needed to make changes—not just to our lives and our understanding of the world, but changes that would impact teens, adolescents, and others across the country who are being sold for others' gratification. One of our initial thoughts was: legislation!

During our daughter's disappearance, Dallas law enforcement told us to report it in our home jurisdiction, about 30 miles away. We knew she was in Dallas—she disappeared there, and there was even footage of her there. But they wanted another jurisdiction to handle the case. We gathered as much information as we could, but even our home jurisdiction couldn't offer much help.

We finally made a formal police report in Dallas six months later. At the hospital with our daughter upon her recovery, I expressed frustration that if they had taken the report immediately, this might have been avoided. I mentioned that we needed to change the law to prevent labeling someone a "runaway" and passing the case to another area. Someone said, "Keep dreaming..." 

So, that's exactly what we did.

WE KEPT DREAMING! 

Almost exactly one year later, we found ourselves in Austin, Texas, sharing our story with the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee. The result was a unanimous 7-0 vote approving legislation that now provides absolute clarity regarding which jurisdiction is responsible for a missing child case.  

https://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=53&clip_id=17584&fbclid=IwAR3ePl8V__2cKhGvOt6DwcqRHIARy6qoUsEfMLICj7XmbkgDHZl47bJqSq0

*our testimony begins at timestamp 51:40 and ends at 59:35.

AND WE'RE NOT DONE YET!  

After our daughter's trauma, we were fortunate to have the resources to provide her with top-tier care: the best wilderness therapy program, excellent recovery centers, and high-quality trauma therapy. However, we recognize this isn't the case for everyone. Without proper aftercare and treatment for trauma, substance exposure, and other issues, victims are more likely to re-enter prostitution and exploitation—not out of habit, but out of necessity.

WE BELIEVE ACCESS TO TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE SHOULD NOT BE COST PROHIBITIVE

Become part of our network of organizations and individuals working to create a better future, STOP trafficking, and help those effected by trauma surrounding sexual assault.

Watch below as our daughter tells her side of the story:
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/north-texas-girl-sex-trafficked-from-a-dallas-mavericks-game-shares-her-story-of-survival-i-am-not-afraid/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFYXe5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZnbDrYLisqtZvF-49y_rM4cAFoAK8hk04AHz1grOoVlQ7vqhvMd70IujA_aem_G8lUYLEPyqZ5DgoKgj5H9Q