Parent’s post about human trafficking on Biloxi beach went viral. But there’s more to the story.

Several children ages 5 to 8 recently played outside a beachfront restaurant on the Mississippi Coast with their vacationing parents nearby.

The couple’s 5-year-old suddenly came to his parents and gave them a shock. A young woman they didn’t know had approached them and frightened them.

“The woman was asking them to come around the fence to help her find her house, and she took off when she saw me coming,” said the father, a North Mississippi resident who asked not to be identified.

They called the police, and the topic of human trafficking came up as the couple talked with a police officer.

“The children were scared to death,” the father said. “They knew something was wrong.”

Police arrested the woman, a 20-year-old, but they didn’t charge her with human trafficking or kidnapping. They arrested her on a disorderly conduct charge.

Shortly before the incident on July 8, someone had called police to report a woman was shouting on the beach and using profanity.

It was the same woman, Biloxi Police Maj. Christopher De Back said.

“She said she is homeless and it appears she has mental issues,” he said.

Police don’t believe she intended to abduct the children, or that human trafficking was a motive, he said.

But it frightened not only the kids, but also their parents.

“We have four kids that were traumatized by the situation,” the father said. “We stayed three more days but they wouldn’t leave our sides and didn’t want to sleep in different rooms than us.”

The father shared the experience in a Facebook post that went viral, with more than 3,000 shares by people concerned about the possibility of human trafficking on the Coast.

‘Always a concern’

De Back said Biloxi and surrounding areas have had some human trafficking cases over the years.

“It’s not a big problem here that we know of,” De Back said. “But it’s always a concern here and around the nation.

Officials as recently as June have called the Interstate 10 corridor a route for human trafficking.

In 2016, a Biloxi woman was sent to prison for using JJ Spa and Massage Parlor in St. Martin as a front for sex slaves. She admitted she forced Korean women into prostitution and would not let them leave.

Human trafficking often goes unseen because people don’t know the signs to look for, said Stacey Riley, chief executive officer of the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence.

“It can be as simple as seeing somebody who appears to be lost or not have any control over their lives,” Riley said. “They could have bruises or be with someone with a tremendous age difference, or who does the talking while they remain silent.”

“Human traffickers sell people or keep them and abuse them or sell them out for sex. And anyone who tries to interfere could be in danger because they would be getting involved in their property and cut off their money supply.”

The best thing to do if you believe someone is a victim of human trafficking, domestic abuse or sexual abuse is to call your local law enforcement and give them details, Riley said.

An observant person can spot a victim if they know the signs to look for, according to the Mississippi Coast Chapter of Advocates for Freedom.

Training available

The Center for Nonviolence has temporarily housed human trafficking victims until they could be re-located outside the area, Riley said. The center also provides a safe haven at an undisclosed location for victims of abuse.

Concerns of human trafficking and other types of abuse are why the center is partnering with the Pascagoula Police Department in a training conference Aug. 14 -16 at the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi.

The center, based in Biloxi, is providing the conference for social workers, law enforcement, victim advocates, medical professionals, prosecutors and military personnel, any professionals who work in a related job.

Riley said there will be national, state and local speakers. The training also counts as continuing education for related professionals.

For details, call 228-435-1968 or go online at http://gccfn.org/conference18/.

Robin Fitzgerald, 228-896-2307, @robincrimenews

This story was originally published July 15, 2018 at 12:00 AM.