Missouri sees spike in human trafficking cases
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Sunday marked National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the Missouri Department of Transportation is using not only Sunday, but the entire month of January to help educate the public about how traffickers operate and how to recognize the warning signs.
Missouri saw a rise in human trafficking cases in 2024, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
“With the numbers continuing to increase in Missouri, it’s important that we equip our employees with the knowledge of what to look for and what to do if they suspect human trafficking is occurring,” MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger said in a press release.
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Missouri has averaged more than 240 human trafficking cases per year from 2020 through 2024. In 2024 alone, the state recorded 272 cases, the highest total since 2020, when 270 cases were reported.
The state sits at the center of the country, with major interstates, rail lines and thousands of trucks moving through every day, making it a key transportation hub and a prime target for traffickers.
Isaac McIntosh, a military veteran and current truck driver, stopped at Midway Travel Plaza Sunday afternoon while traveling from North Carolina to Colorado. McIntosh has been trucking for the past eight years and said he has never witnessed anything suspicious at truck stops.
"I haven't. I hear about it online," McIntosh said. "I don't wish to see it, and I hope it doesn’t happen at all."
He added that his training to drive trucks did not include specific instruction on human trafficking.
"I do see it [human trafficking awareness] at the pilots. When you go to certain truck stops they'll have signs up there in the bathrooms that state if you see human trafficking, or some signs of human trafficking, to report it to somebody inside," Mcintosh said.
David Byler, a truck driver with two years of experience, said he has seen an incident firsthand.
"There have been a few instances. Nothing that I could definitely pinpoint, but there also was--police showed up shortly afterwards, so someone had called it in." Byler said.
Byler noted that truck stops are much safer now.
" In the past, there was a lot more illicit activity at truck stops. Now, there are so many cameras around there's so much more awareness on the subject and there's always someone watching you," Byler said.
Byler said his training included extensive instructions on human trafficking.
"We were given multiple hours of video that we had to watch on human trafficking awareness. We were given pamphlets on it," Byler said.
MoDOT said human trafficking often happens in places people see every day, including rest stops, gas stations, hotels and restaurants. Over a four-year period, hotline data shows the most common locations connected to sex trafficking cases were homes, hotels, pornography-related operations and massage businesses.
Truck stops were involved in only 9 cases over a four-year period in Missouri.
In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline recorded:
- 191 cases of sex trafficking
- 42 cases of labor trafficking
- 15 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking
2023:
- 188 cases of sex trafficking
- 19 cases of labor trafficking
- 19 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking
2022:
- 179 cases of sex trafficking
- 29 cases of labor trafficking
- 14 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking
2021:
- 210 cases of sex trafficking
- 15 cases of labor trafficking
- 6 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking
2020:
- 231 cases of sex trafficking
- 10 cases of labor trafficking
- 10 cases involving both sex and labor trafficking
From 2020 through 2023, adults made up the majority of trafficking victims, with children not far behind. However, the number of cases involving children dropped in 2024 compared to previous years.
Since the National Human Trafficking Hotline began collecting data in 2007, women have been the most commonly trafficked gender in Missouri.
According to MoDOT, potential warning signs of trafficking include:
- Physical abuse or injuries
- Branding or tattooing
- Not having control of money or identification
- Avoiding eye contact or appearing fearful
- Not being allowed to speak for themselves
Missouri has seen 2,281 human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline since 2007, affecting 4,453 victims. Nationally, there were more than 12,000 human trafficking cases in 2024 involving nearly 22,000 victims.
