MARIETTA, Ga. - A routine emergency call regarding people sleeping inside a vacant apartment quickly transformed into a complex human trafficking investigation in Marietta.
Detectives working with the local district attorney's office have filed sexual servitude and burglary charges against multiple people initially found at the scene.
What we know:
Marietta officers rushed to an apartment complex in the 700 block of Franklin Gateway around 9:30 a.m. on May 27 after maintenance workers noticed people staying inside a vacant unit and dialed 911.
Workers unlocked the door for responding officers, who discovered three males and two females sleeping inside.
During initial questioning, officers discovered that 17-year-old Keatron Jones of Marietta had an outstanding arrest warrant for aggravated assault.
Another male in the room was underage and listed as a missing person. Police took him to headquarters and reunited him with his family.
An 18-year-old named Jadon Mitchell of Marietta had no active warrants at the time and was initially released.
The two underage girls inside the room were identified as missing runaways who appeared to be under the influence, prompting officers to transport them to a local pediatric hospital for medical treatment.
Dig deeper:
Marietta police detectives chased leads alongside the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, revealing a much larger criminal operation.
Their work resulted in sweeping tracking and sexual servitude charges stemming from that initial May 27 maintenance call.
Records show Damian Downing was charged on June 18 with felony trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, felony removal of a monitoring device, felony crossing guard lines with marijuana, felony possession under the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and misdemeanor obstruction.
Jadon Mitchell was later charged on June 29 with felony trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and felony first-degree burglary.
The following day, Keatron Jones was hit with the same charges of felony trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and felony first-degree burglary. The underage male found in the apartment faces charges on a juvenile complaint form.
What's next:
Jaydon Mitchell is not in custody, and police hold an active warrant for his arrest.
Investigators are urging anyone with information on his location to contact authorities immediately.
Tipsters can submit anonymous details through the department app or by calling Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-8477.
Because this remains an open human trafficking investigation, anyone with extra information should directly contact Detective Moore at 770-794-5345.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet confirmed the total number of victims affected by the operation or how long the vacant apartment had been used. While media outlets previously covered some individual arrests without knowing the connection, officials have not disclosed the specific leads that upgraded the incident into a human trafficking case.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Marietta Police Department.