13-year-old Edgar Garica Santos, 14-year-old Irene Castellanos, 15-year-old Amelia Ruth, and 15–year–old Gael Guzman were all reported missing by the
www.bakersfieldnow.com
June 3, 2024
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As many may have noticed, the number of reported missing teens is alarming here in the county, so we took a closer look at just how alarming.
Data compiled by the California Department of Justice revealed in 2023, Kern County had the fifth-most reports of missing children in the state.
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Then at Fifth Kern County, with 4,245 reports of missing children.
Dr. Doug Bennett founder of Magdalene Hope told us the top areas mentioned are all hot spots for human trafficking.
Out of those reported missing, only 2,935 children returned.
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This echoes a message the Kern County Sheriff’s Office once told Eyewitness News. One of the reasons for the missing teens is not abductions, but rather teens going on social media and meeting new people.
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Ofelia Flores a survivor advocate told us that geographically, teens in Kern County are at an outstanding risk when they’re missing.
Her reason is that Kern County is an "unfortunate perfectly hub" between Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Los Angeles.
See more in linked article.