As a young adult, Kelley Marshall had a promising start. She had a young daughter, a good job, a new apartment, and a new car. After falling on some hard times due to a traffic accident, a man came along who at first seemed to be her knight in shining armor. Initially expressing genuine concern and interest in Kelley and even helping to financially support her and her daughter, he appeared at first to be her altruistic, caring boyfriend… All along the way never revealing that he was actually a pimp, until it was too late.

  Utilizing grooming and psychological manipulation built upon Kelley’s traumatic upbringing, the man eventually coerced her into becoming a prostitute, separating her from her daughter and sending her down a path riddled with horrific abuses and multiple different traffickers across multiple states. After spending six years as a sex trafficking victim, Kelley finally managed to escape and rebuild her life from scratch. In the time since, she has become a vocal advocate against human trafficking.  

Stories like Kelley’s are unfortunately far too common. According to the United Nations, an estimated 27.6 million people are victimized by human trafficking worldwide. In today’s world, the warning signs can be difficult to recognize for many, and anybody can potentially be a victim regardless of socioeconomic background or location. The bonds keeping trafficking victims from escaping are not always purely physical either, with traffickers often utilizing blackmail, fraud, violence, and other coercive methods of control.  

In this episode, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly will be speaking with Kelley as she shares her story, as well as Dylan Wecht, a representative for the nonprofit Kelley now works with, “Truckers Against Trafficking.” 

Director Kelly will also be speaking with an unidentified undercover agent tasked with spearheading enforcement of the issue, and with Sara Runyon from The Center for Prevention of Abuse. 

Together, they will explore the nuances of human trafficking and discuss potential approaches to seek justice while also helping victims.