North Carolina girl, 13, rescued after being held captive for one month, police say

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said investigators rescued a 13-year-old girl, who was possibly a victim of sex trafficking, from a house on Longleaf Drive in the police department’s Steele Creek Division.

The victim spent the month of December in captivity and is now free, CMPD told WSOC-TV.

Her photo was posted on an internet escort ad, according to a police report.

"Trafficking was the third-largest criminal industry and now it's the second," Alex Nagy, community outreach coordinator for Lily Pad Haven, told WSOC-TV. The group helps women who have been trafficked in the Charlotte area.

"North Carolina has been consistently ranked as a top 10 state for years so it is happening, sex trafficking, labor trafficking," Nagy said.

The case was reported to police Wednesday.

"It's probably not that common that they are screaming out for help because it's just so terrifying," Nagy said.

The Trafficking Task Force is investigating the case, sources said.

"If it's a trafficking situation, you want to look out for someone who is really timid and shy -- not able to speak for themselves," Nagy told WSOC-TV, adding, "They seem very fearful. They don't have any possessions on them."

The police report lists two suspects, but there has not been any more information released.

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