SAN ANTONIO – A woman who was sex trafficked by her stepfather as a child says this type of crime is happening all around us every day.
“At three, they were married. Immediately I was pulled into his sex trafficking ring,” said Tyra, who we’re not identifying by last name to protect her privacy.
Tyra said groomers are often people we trust. The sex trafficking money was laundered through her mother’s daycare upstairs while her stepfather organized unthinkable crimes in the basement, she said.
“I thought all the kids did it. I thought it was just normal,” Tyra said.
When Tyra was 11, she realized something wasn’t right.
“We had picked up four other girls, and they were in the back of a van, and they were not OK. And it was at that moment that I had asked my father, you know, let’s take them to the doctor,” Tyra said.
After all those years, an angel finally saved Tyra.
A family member picking up their child at the day care acted on her gut feeling.
“I was able to break away because there was one person that heard my silent screams,” Tyra said. “My dad, taking me away from her or putting me back into the front door. She stayed vigilant, and she put so much pressure on detectives.”
Soon her stepfather was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, served five years in prison and was deported to Mexico.
While she’s haunted by her past, she uses her time spreading awareness, saying it takes a village to save someone.
“Breaking away from it is probably the most dangerous situation you’re going to put yourself into,” Tyra said. “It’s not until we’re screaming for help that they understand something’s wrong.”
Tyra now fosters teenagers and is sharing her story at the first anti-sex trafficking conference on Saturday called Breaking Away.
Girls 13 to 20 are welcome to head to Summit Christian church. The event is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be served.