Sheriff deputies rescue 3 trafficking victims from Gwinnett extended stay motels

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Three previously missing Gwinnett County teens are now safe.

Investigators rescued them in a human trafficking operation near extended stay motels. It was part of a human trafficking operation led by the TRACE (Trafficking and Child Exploitation) Unit.

The teens were rescued near Oakbrook Parkway.

“For us, the most important thing is that they were recovered,” Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Austin Godfrey said. “Kids that are missing, there’s a level of vulnerability that there is a potential that there could be some trafficking there.”

Godfrey says they’re working to identify suspects linked to the 16-year-old, and two 17-year-old girls they found.

Godfrey says the TRACE Unit’s main job is finding child predators.

“Whether it’s trafficking, or whether it’s any level of child exploitation online, and it’s what they do every single day,” Godfrey said.

Brooke Ruffin, with the nonprofit Street Grace, works with trafficking survivors in Gwinnett County and beyond.

“Most people are exploited by somebody they know, if not a family member,” she said.

She says part of the nonprofit’s job is training staff at motels on how to spot a trafficking victim.

“They can see multiple men visiting the same room and the same night or day,” she said.

The teens rescued last month got immediate mental and physical help.

Those who work with victims say their recovery won’t be easy.

The sheriff’s office says they’re not only out to find traffickers but they want victims to feel safe to call their tip line. That tip line can be reached at 770-619-6655.