Kidnapped Woman Leaps From Moving 18-Wheeler to Escape Human-Trafficking Suspects

(Illustration - Real Window Creative/Shutterstock)

A desperate woman leapt from a moving 18-wheeler truck onto a Texas highway, risking her life in order to escape kidnappers. She survived the fall but was seriously injured. It is believed that the woman’s captors were intending to coerce her into a sex-trafficking operation.

Another woman is alleged to have been inside the truck as well, but she did not jump; Texas authorities are concerned for her safety.

(Illustration - Real Window Creative/Shutterstock)

On Aug. 27, the Cisco Police Department posted a statement on Facebook, detailing the woman’s ordeal and asking the public to share any information that might help expedite their investigation. “At approximately 9:00 p.m. last night ... Cisco Police responded to a call of a female who had been seriously injured near the Flying J/Denny’s on IH-20 in Cisco,” they explained.

“The female injured herself after jumping from an 18-wheeler and later stated that she had been kidnapped in El Paso, Texas ... Cisco Fire Department, Cisco EMS, and DPS Troopers were also on scene,” they confirmed, “and the female was transported to a medical facility for treatment of her injuries.”

Approaching the Flying J/Denny's on IH-20 in Cisco, Texas (Screenshot/Google Maps)

The vehicle that she leapt from, driven by three men, two Cubans, and a Caucasian, was described as a “green truck tractor,” emblazoned with a white stripe and pulling a white box trailer. The other woman alleged to have been inside the truck could be in “grave danger,” the police department said.

At the time of writing, the truck has not been located, while the victim who leapt for her life is receiving medical care and psychological support after her traumatic ordeal.

(Illustration - Yupa Watchanakit/Shutterstock)

Human trafficking, or “modern slavery,” remains a ubiquitous problem in the United States—Texas being a hotspot. There were 1,080 reported cases of human trafficking in Texas alone in 2019—a number second only to California’s—according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Women and children are at the highest risk of being trafficked.

In the same year, there were 11,500 reported cases of human trafficking across the entire United States. A case, the nonprofit says, can involve one or more potential victims, and sex trafficking accounted for the overwhelming majority, with fewer categorized as labor, sex and labor, or not specified.

Of the 11,500 total cases reported in 2019, 6,684 pertained to adults and 2,582 to minors.

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