MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis mother is trying to protect her teenage daughters after she says they've become trapped in the cycle of sex trafficking.
"MPD has taken these guys into custody. They have caught them with my daughters. They are 13, 14 and 15."
The mother asked not to be identified; she said her daughters have been pulled toward a downward spiral.
"They're luring them by buying them clothes, shoes, giving them money."
She said each time her girls disappear she calls police, and she has documents to prove it. She said she's told investigators numerous times about her suspicions that her daughters are being sex trafficked.
"I feel let down by the system."
Often times the desperate mother has resorted to taking things into her own hands, confronting the suspects on her own.
So far, the only man arrested is Jarvis Johnson, charged with harboring a runaway child.
"I'm hurt. I'm disappointed, and I know something can be done."
The mother believes her house was shot up after Johnson's arrest out of retaliation. Now she lives in hiding.
Throughout all of this, she said her daughter's grades have slipped, and the school district is calling them truant.
Debra Farrow, founder of Wings of Love, has been helping the family find a way out.
"When she sought out help, they started to tell her to keep a tab on [her] kids. Then she lost her job, but she was following directions," Farrow said. "It's more than just sex. They are just brainwashed."
The mother said she recently got a call from a friend telling her the girls were at a strip mall with a group of guys. They were being sold to the highest bidder in exchange for sexual favors.
"It's not just my children. It's a lot of children in Memphis that are dealing with this."
She said her daughters haven't disappeared in about three weeks, so she hopes she's close to breaking the cycle.
