Earlier this year, four officers from the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force enrolled in Our Rescue’s Human Trafficking Task Force program. Through this training, they received specialized instruction and equipment designed to help them identify, investigate, and respond to trafficking.
Just months later, those same officers reported their first success.
In June of 2025, they were dispatched to an apartment complex in Minnesota, after a distressed 14-year-old girl was reported in the parking lot. She was under the influence and in visible crisis. What initially appeared to be a welfare call quickly escalated into an active trafficking case.
Through quick action, the officers uncovered that the girl had been transported to the apartment by a man later identified as Billy Ray Wiley, and left with another man, Michael Lewis. Surveillance footage and interviews confirmed a disturbing pattern: Wiley was regularly bringing minors to the apartment complex, where they were sexually exploited and drugged.
The investigation revealed:
- Multiple survivors connected to the same suspects.
- Surveillance showing minors arriving at the complex appearing sober but later leaving under the influence.
- Survivors confirming that drugs and money were used as means of control and coercion.
- Evidence seized from both suspects linking them to ongoing exploitation.
On July 8, just over a week later, officers tracked Wiley to the area again and placed him under arrest with another juvenile in his car. Lewis was also arrested, and his apartment was searched, matching the description given by the children. Both men are now in custody while investigations continue.
Through our ICAC Connect program, officers like these are receiving training and equipment that enables them to respond decisively and rescue children.
At Our Rescue, we are proud to stand with the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force and other agencies who are dedicated to protecting children and holding traffickers accountable.
Most importantly, we are grateful that survivors from this case are now safe and receiving the care and support they need.