Five people are facing charges in a human trafficking investigation, including the mother of one of the accused parties who police say took money from a victim with the “full knowledge” that it resulted from her work in the sex trade.
Police say that the victim was invited to a party by a man whom she met on an online dating site.
While at that party, police say that the victim was sexually assaulted by the man and a companion of his.
She was then trafficked into the sex trade, police say.
During the next few months, the woman was transported to various hotels in the Greater Toronto Area and throughout Ontario and was allegedly forced to hand over all of her earnings to the man.
At one point, police say that the man threatened to kill the woman if she ever left and showed her firearms as “an element of control and intimidation.”
It is further alleged that the man eventually turned over the victim to the control of the second man that had sexually assaulted her at the party.
Police say that man directed the victim to turn over all of her earnings to his mother.
At some point a third man also attempted to procure the victim to work for him in the sex trade. Police say that when his attempts proved unsuccessful he sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions.
On May 17, members of the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Human Trafficking Enforcement Team executed two search warrants in Barrie, arresting three people.
Two more people were then arrested in June.
Police say that they are concerned that there could be additional victims out there.
Tapiwa Musara, 27, of Barrie, Jacqueline Myers-Ellis, 54, of Barrie, Anya Browne, 38, of Barrie, Devone Nolan, 30, of Toronto, and Stephan Myers, 28, of Barrie are facing a combined 36 charges.
