Authorities have confirmed that two girls who disappeared from a foster home in Palm Beach County earlier this month were targeted by a local human trafficking ring.
Deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office sprang into action on Wednesday, following a report from a law enforcement officer who spotted one of the girls leaving a residence alongside a suspected human trafficker.
Authorities have taken two individuals, Faith Slayton and Michael Steinmetz, into custody regarding the suspected trafficking activities. Both are confronted with several allegations related to the trafficking of a minor. Steinmetz faces allegations of sexual battery involving a minor, whereas Slayton has been charged with two counts related to interfering with the custody of a minor.
In their initial appearance on Thursday morning, the judge from Palm Beach County characterized the case as among the most severe he had encountered. Subsequently, he refused to grant them a bond.
An arrest affidavit reveals that following a cash transaction, the girl entered a black BMW with another person, and they were subsequently halted near the I-95 and 6th Avenue South interchange. Authorities were granted an order by the Department of Children and Family Services to take the girl into custody, leading them to discover another victim concealed within a residence.
Lynne Barletta, a pastor, artist, and advocate from the Treasure Coast, emphasizes that this is merely one triumph in an ongoing struggle.
“There are wonderful foster care parents caring for children. And then you have the other segment of people who are taking in children, but they’re using it as a paycheck, and so those children often fall through the cracks,” Barletta said.
Those gaps are where traffickers flourish.
Barletta highlights that vulnerable youth in foster care are often exploited by traffickers, drawn in by enticing offers of cash, substances, and deceptive dreams. This perilous situation is taking a toll on these at-risk children.
As reported by the National Foster Youth Institute, approximately 60% of individuals victimized by child sex trafficking are or have previously been part of the foster care system.
Barletta established the Florida Faith Alliance to inform churches, schools, and businesses about the critical issue of child trafficking.
“With one girl or two girls, there could be hundreds of users involved, because you can use a child thirty to forty times a day. You can only use a drug once, and they use drugs to control them,” Barletta said.
Investigators were informed by both girls that they had received marijuana, Flakka, and Molly, with at least one instance involving these substances as compensation for sexual acts.
One of the victims reportedly encountered advertisements for online prostitution featuring “Two Girl Specials.”
“Every child is at risk now, because most of the recruitment is now online. When you are you’ve got a child that has access to social media. That means social media has access to them,” Barletta said. “It is the most horrifying thing that is going on in our world now.”
A heavily redacted section of the affidavits for each suspect reveals that a man already in custody exclaimed, “I only paid $20” before being informed of his Miranda Rights, after which he requested a lawyer.