Today our housekeeper, Elda, came to work crying. Her granddaughter, Michelle, disappeared on December 19th as she was leaving school for the winter holiday. She called ten days later to say that she was in Guatemala and that she had been taken there by a man she had gotten to know from her church. She was crying and clearly afraid, but told her family that she was “all right.” They do not know if Michelle went willingly or was taken against her will. They do not if there was more to the relationship with the man, who is married with three children. They have not heard from her since then, which is almost three weeks now. They are terrified for her safety.
I contacted my friend, Charlotte Watson, who has been active in the human trafficking movement in New York State. She recommended that I contact several people who are active in combatting human trafficking. Below is the letter I sent to them tonight.
I am sharing this tonight because I feel a need to help Elda, who is a lovely woman. Her family is decent and hard-working and they are now suffering. She is legal in the United States, but her granddaughter, Michelle, was not. That is part of the problem now. Apparently, if you’re not legal and you disappear, the LAPD isn’t much interested in you. What a shameful situation.
If anyone reading this knows of people to contact to help this young woman, please let me know immediately. Needless to say, time is a major factor in her safety.
Here is my letter:
Dear Lauren and Dorchen,
I am a childhood friend of Charlotte Watson and she recommended that I contact you in reference to the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl here in LA who was taken by a 34-year-old man to Guatemala without her parents’ knowledge or permission on December 19th, 2013. I do not know if the girl was complicit in this decision or if she was taken against her will. Her family believes it is the latter. The gist is that the LAPD say that since she is illegal (though she has been here in the US since age 4), they can’t do anything. The Guatemalan police say that since the crime occurred in the US, they can do nothing. Meanwhile, this teenage girl is somewhere unknown by her family and very likely she is in danger.
She contacted her family 10 days after her disappearance and tearfully told them that she was “all right” and in Guatemala. (The girl, however, had no papers such as a passport for the border crossings.) The man’s wife here in LA (he is married with 3 kids) says she believes she knows where he took the girl in Guatemala. She is upset with his actions, obviously. The girl and this man (and his family) were friends in church together.
Again, I do not know if this is a case of a love tryst gone awry or if this is an abduction, but either way, the girl is underage and her family is terrified for her safety. The mother is considering returning to Guatemala to look for her, which is, of course, what a mother would do, but which is also potentially very dangerous.
The girl’s name is Michelle Sandoval. Her grandmother is my housekeeper, Elda, and she (Elda) came today and told me this very sad story. She said the whole family can’t sleep or eat and they are desperate with worry. It has been 3 weeks since they have heard from her.
Can you please provide some guidance as to where to turn for help? This is a disturbing situation involving an underage girl with absolutely no support system to help her in Guatemala or seemingly even in the U.S.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much.
Helen (Len) Leatherwood
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