Nearly a year after a 14-year-old girl went missing, four people charged with trafficking her have been indicted by a Fulton County grand jury. If convicted, each of the defendants could spend the rest of their lives in prison, according to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
The teenage victim was reported missing in early 2021, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. The state’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which operates out of Carr’s office, received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and began an investigation. The girl was rescued after she’d been missing for about seven weeks.
Months later, the investigation led to the arrests of two men and two women. All four were charged with multiple counts of human trafficking for sexual servitude, among other charges, for which they have now been indicted in two separate cases, Carr said in a news release Friday.
The indictments provided a clearer picture of the allegations made against the four defendants. Jody Netter, 35, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Raphel Olivia Sewer, of Lithonia, are accused of recruiting the girl into sexual servitude, Carr said. Along with Courdale Thayer, of Decatur, and Jahaundria Seabron, of Atlanta, all four defendants are accused of keeping the girl at a Motel 6 and earning money by sexually exploiting her. They are each charged with taking photos of the girl and advertising her “services.”
Netter is accused of hitting the 14-year-old in the face, as well as raping her, Carr said. Thayer is accused of assaulting the victim with a handgun and charged with false imprisonment for keeping her confined. The two women, Sewer and Seabron, face child cruelty charges after prosecutors say they encouraged an unknown man to have sex with the girl.
Netter was indicted Thursday on one count each of first-degree cruelty to children, rape and statutory rape, along with four counts of trafficking persons for sexual servitude, Carr said. He faces a maximum of five life sentences plus 40 years imprisonment. Sewer was indicted on one count of first-degree cruelty to children and four counts of trafficking persons for sexual servitude. She faces a maximum of four life sentences plus 20 years in prison.
The second indictment, also handed down Thursday, concerned Thayer and Seabron, Carr said. Thayer is charged with one count each of aggravated assault and false imprisonment, as well as three counts of trafficking persons for sexual servitude. He faces a maximum of three life sentences plus 30 years imprisonment. Seabron is charged with one count of cruelty to children and three counts of trafficking persons for sexual servitude. She faces a maximum of three life sentences plus 20 years in prison.
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