From Signals To Safety: The Power of People and Technology To Recover Tanya and Veronica

A staff member at a child welfare placement overheard 16-year-old Tanya* and a peer speaking with an adult male on the phone outside the home. Moments later, both children were gone. The child welfare agency responsible for Tanya’s care reported her missing to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

When the agency contacted NCMEC to report Tanya missing, staff also flagged serious concerns about potential child sex trafficking. A prior investigation had already resulted in the arrest of Tanya’s alleged trafficker, raising fears she may have been targeted again.

A NCMEC Child Sex Trafficking Team analyst conducted open-source searches and located a recent image of the child. The analyst then ran the child’s image through Spotlight, an AI-powered technology that helps investigators identify and recover child sex trafficking victims faster.

The results included multiple ads featuring Tanya for sale in two states. Some of the ads also depicted a second child, Veronica*, who had also been reported missing to NCMEC. Information on both missing children - including locations and a phone number - was shared with law enforcement.

Ten days later, law enforcement recovered Veronica, along with several other children. Multiple offenders were found and arrested at the same location, but Tanya was not recovered at that time. According to NCMEC, traffickers frequently move children from state to state every few days and disguise then in online escort ads using aliases and makeup to make them appear older.

The NCMEC analyst continued using Spotlight, this time to create alerts for new ads posted of Tanya. Further analysis allowed the analyst to narrow the search to two possible locations. Two days later, Tanya was safely recovered by law enforcement, and her suspected trafficker was arrested. Her unimaginable nightmare was over.

​​“Children being sold by traffickers are often trapped behind hotel doors, where they rarely interact with the outside world other than the buyers who purchase and abuse them. Spotlight literally kicks down that door.” - Melissa Snow, Executive Director of NCMEC’s child sex trafficking programs

​The recovery reflects the critical role collaboration and innovation play in identifying trafficking patterns and generating timely leads. By pairing analytical expertise with advanced technology, NCMEC and partners like Spotlight are working together to save lives.

“The enduring partnership between NCMEC and Spotlight represents a powerful alliance in the fight against child trafficking, combining NCMEC's expertise and reach with Spotlight's innovative technology,” - Kristin Boorse, founder & CEO of Canary

*All names have been changed to protect the identity of the children