INKSTER, Mich. – Michigan State Police on Monday found a woman who had been missing since 2017, thanks to a tip from the woman’s stepmother.
On Monday, Feb. 26, special investigators received a call from the missing woman’s stepmother, saying she had heard from her stepdaughter for the first time in seven years. On the phone call, the stepdaughter said she was being held against her will at a motel in Inkster.
Investigators learned the woman was at the Evergreen Motel on Michigan Avenue between Middlebelt and Inkster roads. Troopers and detectives said they arrived at the motel and heard screaming and crying from one of the rooms. They forcibly broke into the room and found the missing woman.
The woman’s identity is not being revealed at this time.
Authorities said this week that they were working to better understand the circumstances surrounding the missing woman. Still, they were investigating this as a possible human trafficking case.
Lt. Michael Shaw with the Michigan State Police told us that the reality of human trafficking is far different from what movies portray.
“If you go to Great Lakes Crossing Mall and all of the sudden somebody comes up to you and abducts you and you wake up in the Middle East -- that is not how human trafficking works,” Shaw said. Instead, Shaw said traffickers will slowly build a relationship with their victim, luring them in.
It’s unclear if that’s what happened to the woman found at the Inkster motel.
“This may turn out just to be a domestic violence type of deal. This may turn out to be a big human trafficking thing. And it may turn out to be that she finally decided she wanted to go home and just called her stepmom,” Shaw said.
A suspect was identified, but was not taken into custody on Monday. Authorities obtained a warrant and searched the motel room, finding drugs, cell phones, and a gun.
The woman was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and interview before being reunited with her family. Officials said the woman was provided other resources to help her recover.
Learn more here about what to do if someone you know goes missing.
You can watch Jacqueline Francis’ full report on this below.