One quick-thinking flight attendant saved a teenage girl from human trafficking after noticing that something was wrong with the young passenger on her Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco.
“Something in the back of my mind said something is not right,” Shelia Frederick, 49, from Alabama, told 10 News as she recalled the encounter from 2011. The girl, who seemed to be around 14 or 15 years old and “looked like she had been through pure hell” according to Shelia, was traveling with an older man who wouldn’t let her talk and answered all of Shelia’s questions for her.
“He was well dressed, that’s what kind of got me because why is he well dressed and she is looking disheveled and out of sorts,” Frederick said. Realizing she needed to act quickly, Shelia quietly told the girl to visit the bathroom where the flight attendant had left her a note on the mirror. “She wrote on the note she needed help,” said Frederick, who told the pilot about what had happened.
They in turn alerted the San Francisco police, who were waiting in the terminal to question the man by the time the plane had landed. The girl is now attending college and is free from trafficking thanks to Shelia’s keen eye and smart thinking.
Between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. Around 80% are women and girls, and up to 50% are minors. “If you see something, say something,” Frederick said.
20 Comments
Thank you Sheila Fredrick for being alert and going beyond to help this girl. God bless you.
Thank you for following your instincts. We need more people like you who will speak up and help in any way possible to put an end to human trafficking. The world is a much better place because of people like you.
Thank you to being a keen eye and saving this girls life. The airlines should teach this because I’m sure with these statistics it probably happens everyday.
I have been so concerned over this going on in our State and really concerned for my own grandchildren.
God bless all the Flight Attendants, I’m sure you gave many days from hell.
God bless both the attendant and that girl God sent a special angel for her
What a wonderful story. I wish more people would look around and notice what is sometimes right in front of you. Yes the Stewardess did a great job and hopefully commended for it. So happy for the young girl, now she has a chance at life.
GOD BLESS YOU SAVE ONE LIFE IF EVERYONE WOULD SPEAK UP NO TELLING HOW MANY CHILDREN CAN BE SAVED THANK YOU
She is awesome, we need more people like her.
Wonderful! So very proud of your fast thinking and helping this young lady!
Great Job Sheila on saving that young girl from being a victim of the trafficking trade!
Great job Shelia u saved that young girls life u will be truly blessed for that ☺️
Good job!!!☺️❤️ We need more like you because there’s so many kids out there going through so much and it’s sad you perverts we got our eyes on you
God bless this beautiful women with a beautiful heart and intelligent mine, I hope everyone do the same, she safe one life. many blessings to her and her family.
Great job and you will be blessed and thank you for sharing and saving that child ❣️❣️
This is what we need more in this world !! people being vigilant to sex trafficking !!!it’s going on too much in this world! !Thanks to this quick thinking ✈️ airline stewardess for saving this girls life !! AMEN speak up if you see anything looking suspicious Always !!!You May Just save another girl‘s life !!
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That was pretty brave of you may God bless u also
I praise Jesus, for your quick and wise thinking and letting God use you, for that child safe return back home to her family.
Hi Shelia I know you don’t know me,but when I read your story, it brought tears to my eyes.you are a True Angel.There should be a safety class for Flight Attendant”s.To Teach Them about Noticeable Behaviors on Human Trafficking.without you, this could have been a Negative ending.I hope I spelled my words rite.Thanks for sharing your story.. Sincerely Marie.Ps I don’t know if you will get this message,but I pray I do.we have some really bad people in this world..
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Hi Shelia I know you don’t know me,but when I read your story, it brought tears to my eyes.you are a True Angel.There should be a safety class for Flight Attendant”s.To Teach Them about Noticeable Behaviors on Human Trafficking.without you, this could have been a Negative ending.I hope I spelled my words rite.Thanks for sharing your story.. Sincerely Marie.Ps I don’t know if you will get this message,but I pray you do.we have some really bad people in this world..
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to many of this and is sadly terrible and is out of control. I would love to take this to a different level but sadly I dont know how? It’s not on to many people’s mind. THAT IS SO SAD!!
God bless you