16-year-old girl who was possibly being trafficked through the Punxsutawney area on Friday.

[Pappy]

Missing child recovered by Punxsutawney Borough Police

 

PUNXSUTAWNEY —Punxsutawney Borough Police received a report of a 16-year-old girl who was possibly being trafficked through the Punxsutawney area on Friday.

According to Punxsutawney Borough Police, on Thursday Oct. 5, the Bedford Massachusetts Police Department and Massachusetts State Police requested assistance regarding a possible human trafficking victim in the Punxsutawney area.

According to information provided by the Massachusetts Commonwealth Fusion Center, a juvenile female was last seen going to

get on the school bus at

7 a.m. on Oct. 4, in Bedford, Massachusetts. The juvenile never attended school that day and did not return to her home in Bedford.

The juvenile’s cellphone was found later that afternoon in a trash can located in a shopping center in Bedford.

The juvenile was described as 16 years of age, of Guatemalan decent, approximately 4’11 in height, 150 pounds, with brown hair and eyes.

Police said the

juvenile is Spanish speaking, and speaks little to no English.

The Bedford Police Department obtained video surveillance from the shopping center where juvenile’s cellphone was recovered.

Through their investigation, the juvenile appeared on video getting into a gray SUV.

The MSP High Risk Victims Unit was contacted and able to obtain a vehicle registration.

Through their investigation, the driver of the vehicle of interest was later identified and told investigators that he was paid to drop the girl off at a downtown Mahoning Street business address in Punxsutawney.

Punxsutawney Borough Police checked multiple apartment buildings in the downtown above businesses Thursday evening; however, they were unable to locate the victim.

On the following day, on Friday, Oct. 6, Punxsutawney Borough Police received new information from the MSP High Risk Victims Unit that the driver was reinterviewed and now stated that the girl was dropped off on the 1000 block of East Mahoning Street and an adult male came out of a house and paid the driver $400.

The driver also provided a phone number to investigators from the man he was paid by.

An analysis of the victim’s recovered phone in MA revealed a phone number from the Punxsutawney area and was the same number provided by the driver.

The cellphone was provided to the Jefferson County 911 Center, and data was able to be reported back to Punxsutawney Borough Police.

Master Patrolman Ryan Miller and Police Chief Matt Conrad responded to the 1000 block of East Mahoning Street.

However, a search of the area did not locate the juvenile.

Following new information, Miller and Conrad then responded to a downtown restaurant where the missing person flyer provided by the MSP was shown to employees.

The employees reported that they had not seen the missing juvenile.

Officers went into the kitchen area of the restaurant where the juvenile was subsequently recovered, observed with a hat pulled down over her face, head down and washing dishes.

The juvenile was positively identified via taking a cellphone photo and sending it to MSP High Risk Victims Unit. The juvenile hesitantly confirmed to being the person depicted in the missing person flyer.

The juvenile was taken to Punxsutawney Area Hospital for any necessary medical care and to be evaluated by a physician.

She was released to the care and custody of the Jefferson County Juvenile Probation Department, awaiting officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs.

The investigation continues.

[Basset3]

Sadly....we're going to hear more of this.  Bedford, Mass is NOT a good area, unless of course human trafficking is involved. 

[BillyC]

Just wondering which restaurant is was. The employees and or management apparently tried to hide her from the authorities. And i highly doubt they were doing it for her own protection.

[Polo]

14 hours ago, BillyC said:

Just wondering which restaurant is was. The employees and or management apparently tried to hide her from the authorities. And i highly doubt they were doing it for her own protection.

The business made a post about this on Facebook.  Trying to explain themselves.  Said this girl was visiting her boyfriend, and was only in the restaurant 20 min., then decided to help with dishes.  Sounds pretty fishy.  I won't mention the name, but they also have a business in St. Marys too.  Someone I know who has ties to law enforcement felt the same, and feels she was definitely a victim of human trafficking.

[gc]

7 minutes ago, Polo said:

The business made a post about this on Facebook.  Trying to explain themselves.  Said this girl was visiting her boyfriend, and was only in the restaurant 20 min., then decided to help with dishes.  Sounds pretty fishy.  I won't mention the name, but they also have a business in St. Marys too.  Someone I know who has ties to law enforcement felt the same, and feels she was definitely a victim of human trafficking.

Name one kid who randomly starts washing dishes. Who are they trying to kid?  Sadly, this restaurant is in the process of opening up in DuBois on the boulevard.

[disgruntled]

On 10/10/2023 at 9:23 AM, gc said:

Name one kid who randomly starts washing dishes. Who are they trying to kid?  Sadly, this restaurant is in the process of opening up in DuBois on the boulevard.

I guess one could follow that up with, name one person who is going to tell a kid to STOP washing dishes. 

She may have been trying to help the boyfriend?  Help him finish up so they can leave?  

I think we need to sit back and let the truth come out before we string up the business and try to shut them down before they even open here.  There is too much speculation at this point.

[Petee]

I want to know exactly which restaurant because when employees refuse to truthfully answer the police, they certainly aren't someone I want to support.  The only one I know opening on the Boulevard is in the old McDonalds.  Is there another one that I don't know of?

[Trillyn]

It’s not the old McDonald’s it’s the old Peking Restaurant that’s on the Boulevard. 

On 10/12/2023 at 11:16 PM, Petee said:

I want to know exactly which restaurant because when employees refuse to truthfully answer the police, they certainly aren't someone I want to support.  The only one I know opening on the Boulevard is in the old McDonalds.  Is there another one that I don't know of?

 

[leahbarn]

1 hour ago, Trillyn said:

It’s not the old McDonald’s it’s the old Peking Restaurant that’s on the Boulevard. 

 

Both were there at different  times. That building has been empty too long.  I am not a fan of the Punxsy restaurant's food or prices the one time I was there about a year ago.

[dubois_15801]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:51 PM, Trillyn said:

It’s not the old McDonald’s it’s the old Peking Restaurant that’s on the Boulevard. 

 

That building was McDonalds before Peking was there.