‘My trafficker was a monster’: Human trafficking victim shares story at Longview event

Mary McDowell stood before an audience and spoke openly about one of the most harrowing chapters of her life — her experience with human trafficking.

Hannah House Ministries, a nonprofit organization that serves as a maternity home for women facing unplanned pregnancies, hosted an event Wednesday on trafficking at Pine Tree Church of Christ in Longview.

Hannah House Director Melanie Wright said the organization provides housing, transportation, counseling, adoption options and more for pregnant women in need.

She said that after seeing an increase in trafficking with women at Hannah House, she saw the need to raise awareness. That's when she started working with Beyond Trafficking, a group from Abilene that provides refuge for survivors of human trafficking and brings awareness through education.

McDowell said she was adopted and always felt like the “sore thumb” of the family. With both of her parents emotionally absent and facing bullying problems at school, McDowell eventually met a group of friends at age 16 who encouraged her to start doing online webcam shows in exchange for money and gifts.

She said her eventual trafficker told her he was 21 and had a daughter who needed a mentor, and he believed McDowell would be the perfect fit. He also promised to give her a better life.

McDowell eventually became a runaway.

Her trafficker drove from Colorado to meet her, and they traveled to Alexandria, Louisiana. On the way, her trafficker gave her a bottle of water that she said tasted strange, and she later realized she had been drugged.

Her trafficker eventually tied her to a bed in a motel room and let people abuse her for five days while she was either unconscious or barely conscious.

“My trafficker was a monster,” McDowell said.

The ordeal only ended when he took her to wash her clothes at a laundromat, and McDowell was able to tell another customer about her situation before she was dragged out by her trafficker.

On the drive from the laundromat, he repeatedly threatened to kill her and her family — and she said she had no reason to believe otherwise.

“I was either going to live or going to die, either way. I did not know where I was gonna go or what was going to happen to me,” McDowell said.

Again tied to the bed in the motel room, her trafficker was in the shower as she started to hear activity outside the door. Officers with the Alexandria Police Department then burst into the room.

“The look of the police officer is still burned into my brain — one of shock, one of disgust and one of complete and utter sadness,” McDowell said.

She added that she didn't begin to tell her story until about 10 years ago after being connected with Beyond Trafficking.

While still difficult to recall, McDowell said she wanted to share her experience to help others and raise awareness about the real danger of human trafficking.

“Most of us trafficked individuals, you're not gonna be able to tell,” she said. “I hope that this brings more awareness to you that even around you, as you're going to church and you're going to work, you're going to get a cup of coffee, we are there.”

Jason Lundquist, a former 22-year Waco Police Department officer, said he specialized in child abuse cases for the last eight years of his career. During this time, he learned that dealing with victims of child abuse is similar to dealing with victims of human trafficking, which eventually helped him learn how to better interview victims.

Lundquist is now with SAFVIC Systems, which is a free reporting system for Texas law enforcement agencies, according to its website.

Victims of both crimes usually act similarly in social exchanges, he said. There often is a level of secrecy, helplessness, entrapment, delay and retraction.

Lundquist added that certain considerations must be made when dealing with trafficking victims, such as they may not identify themselves as victims; they may initially lie or use rehearsed stories; their stories may change over time; they may be behaviorally dependent on their trafficker; they may not want family to know of their circumstances; and they may exhibit Stockholm syndrome and show empathy for their traffickers.

He said asking trafficking victims too many probing questions could confuse them and make them not want to talk.

Informal conversation is often used, and a comfortable space without physical barriers also helps. He added that preparing questions ahead of time is key, and it's best not to videotape or audiotape an initial conversation.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. To report suspected trafficking, call The National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.