Special Needs Sex Trafficking Victim Abandoned in Houston

A 21-year-old woman with special needs is being treated in Houston after she was kidnapped in Ohio for the purpose of sex trafficking near the site of this year's Super Bowl.

Kathryn Griffin, a recovery coach specialist with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, said the 21-year-old woman has the mentality of a 7-year-old child. Griffin told KTRK-TV a pimp pulled the woman into his car in Ohio, told her she worked for him now, then told her she was going to make him money at the Super Bowl.

“This is probably the saddest scenario I have come across in my 14 years of dealing with the human sex trafficking," Griffin said. The woman was reportedly trained to perform lewd acts for rewards such as candy and fast food.

When the woman began having seizures, the pimp dropped her off in Downtown Houston, where she was sexually assaulted. A good Samaritan reportedly helped her get to a hospital.

The Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff, and FBI Sex Trafficking Division are investigating and searching for the woman's former captor.

Houston officials and federal agents will reportedly being stepping up efforts to confront sex trafficking in Houston ahead of the big game.

Sam Hernandez with Elijah Rising, a nonprofit sex trafficking education and investigation service, said his organization will be on the lookout as the city is flooded with revelers.

“The Super Bowl is going to turn the entire city into a party,” Hernandez told Click2Houston. “Traffickers know, pimps know, and they bring women in. It increases prostitution and human trafficking more than any event that we see come through the city.”

If you see or suspect human trafficking in Houston or any other town, or if you are a victim, please cal the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888, text "HELP" or "INFO" to 233733, or visit traffickingresourcecenter.org.