North Carolina Man Charged with Human Trafficking After Teen Girl Dies of an Overdose.

A North Carolina man is behind bars today after police say he allegedly held a young girl against her will and sold her for sex.

Just days before the new year, police were called to the Baymont Inn on South Memorial Drive around 10am for an apparent overdose. When they got there they found a 16-year-old girl unresponsive. They tried to administer CPR but the girl was later pronounced dead.

Anthony Cox was arrested this past Tuesday by Greenville police and charged with human trafficking, sexual servitude of a child, promoting prostitution, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and statutory rape of a child. Reports say that they girl, who just turned 16 in early December, had been in an ongoing relationship with the 21-year-old man. Arrest warrants say Cox told the girl they “needed the money to live off of.”

Human Trafficking advocates in the area say this is all too common among young girls.

The warrants say the man recruited the teen with the “intent that the victim be held in involuntary sexual servitude”. It says the two had sexual relations when the girl was 15-years-old.

The court documents say Cox compelled the girl to become a prostitute and that he received a portion of the earnings.

This whole story is truly sad. There are so many people that could be blamed for this child's death right along with Mr. Cox. Where were this young girl's parents, guardians, nosy neighbors? Yes the age gap wasn't very large but, a 15 or 16-year-old has no business with a 21-year-old. It's all too common in all walks of life and it needs to stop.

Our prayers go out to this young girl's loved ones. This could have been avoided.