North Texas mother questions response after daughter found in sex trafficking case
A North Texas mother is angry and heartbroken after her 13-year-old daughter went missing from school and wasn't found until eight days later.
By the time she was found, the mother said her daughter had been sex trafficked, and now she's questioning how the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas Independent School District handled the case.
Mother's heartbreak and anger
The mother, whose identity CBS News Texas is concealing for safety reasons, hasn't been able to speak to her daughter about what happened during the days she went missing from April 1 to April 8.
The 13-year-old girl was last seen at Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory during school hours.
Police response questioned
The mother said she called the police multiple times over those eight days but didn't get much help. Police confirmed they received her initial call but said an Amber Alert wasn't issued because the case didn't meet the criteria.
Family takes action
"The first thing she told me was that she was scared, she was scared. I told her, 'Don't be scared anymore, you're with your family now,'" the mother told CBS News Texas. "I called the police because I thought I was going to have their help. I've never had an experience like this."
The mother said that's when her family took matters into their own hands. She said they received a tip Tuesday night that their daughter was spotted at a motel near Harry Hines Boulevard and Lombardy Lane, and she notified police. The family rushed to the location and found the girl with a man and a woman. Police arrived at the location later that evening.
Arrest and charges
The next day, police arrested 25-year-old Jordyn Davidson, charging her with multiple offenses, including forcing prostitution under the age of 18. CBS News Texas obtained documents stating that Davidson forced the 13-year-old girl to perform sexual acts in exchange for money and shelter. CBS News Texas also learned that the girl had been sleeping in a tent at some point while she was missing.
Expert questions police
Attorney Zeke Fortenberry, who specializes in child sex trafficking cases and heads Fortenberry Firm, said this is common for similar cases in the metroplex.
"And that's exactly what I see in other cases, too. It's family members and friends and private investigators who are actually finding these girls when truly it's the Dallas Police Department who has all the resources in the world and all the tools in their tool belt to find these girls, if they go look for them," Fortenberry said. "So, I think it's a real misfortune and miscarriage of justice if the Dallas Police Department won't go look for these missing girls."
Call for a holistic approach
Fortenberry said this issue of child prostitution needs a holistic approach, which includes law enforcement "doing their job" to hold those prostituting people accountable, and businesses stepping up to say they won't allow this behavior in their spaces.
"I can't imagine something more important than a missing 13-year-old girl, and so, whether or not it meets the criteria for an Amber Alert doesn't mean that they shouldn't start investigating and start looking for the whereabouts of this missing teenager," he said. "I think awareness is building, but change is not happening."
Mother's next steps
The mother tells CBS News Texas she's planning on sending both the school and police department a letter airing her grievances. She said while she's disappointed with the department and the school district, she is thankful her daughter is home and safe.
"With God's mercy, my daughter came back alive, and that's what's important," she said.
Police and school response
CBS News Texas reached out multiple times to the police department to ask if they believed there was a lack of response in the case, but they did not answer the questions. CBS News Texas was once again sent the Amber Alert criteria, with no answer to the questions. CBS News Texas also contacted Dallas ISD about this case, but they did not return our request.
