Two young girls missing from a Florida foster home have been rescued, revealing a human trafficking operation in Palm Beach County. Law enforcement officials reported that the victims were found after one girl was seen leaving a residence linked to a suspected trafficker. CBS12 reported that two individuals, Faith Slayton and Michael Steinmetz, were arrested and face serious charges related to trafficking minors.
A Palm Beach County judge denied bail to the accused, stating that the case involving the trafficked minors is one of the worst seen by the judiciary. An arrest affidavit obtained by WPEC details the rescue of one girl, who was seen getting into a car after a cash exchange. Officers stopped the vehicle on the highway and placed her in protective custody before discovering the location of the second victim.
Allegations against the suspects are severe; Steinmetz is charged with human trafficking of a minor and sexual battery of a minor, while Slayton faces counts of human trafficking of a minor and interfering with the custody of a minor. Linked to this operation, the girls reported being provided with drugs such as marijuana, Flakka, and Molly, which were sometimes exchanged for sexual acts, CrimeOnline broadcasts.
Lynne Barletta, an advocate and founder of the Florida Faith Alliance, spoke to the systematic risk foster children bear, which is often exploited by traffickers preying on their need for stability and susceptibility to false promises. "With one girl or two girls, there could be hundreds of users involved, because you can use a child thirty to forty times a day. You can only use a drug once, and they use drugs to control them," Barletta told CBS12.
The next court appearance for Slayton and Steinmetz is expected to be next month, where they will face the charges against them. Meanwhile, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office's investigation continues.
