Sex-trafficking victim who dialed 911 sues Albuquerque police

ALBUQUERQUE — A sex-trafficking victim who called 911 to report she was being held hostage is suing the Albuquerque Police Department and two of its officers on grounds that they did not rescue her when they could have.

The lawsuit claims police failed to investigate after she called for help, which created a situation where her captor then raped her, beat her and shaved her head in retaliation, KOB reported Friday. The victim remained a hostage days after calling 911.

Her captor, Tito Fajardo, had gotten her pregnant at some point in their history. She hid the child from him and he took her hostage for doing so, according to the suit.

Fajardo chained her, beat her, raped her and demanded she tell him where the kid was, the suit said. After two weeks, the victim secretly found a phone and dialed 911. She spoke to the 911 operator in whispers, according to a transcription obtained by KOB-TV. The Associated Press generally does not identify sexual abuse victims.

Two Albuquerque police officers were sent to the call. Video shows them arriving at the house, talking to neighbors and then turning their attention toward vehicles next door.

“If you have someone calling from a home saying ‘I’m being held hostage’, you have the ability to go into that home, break down that door and save the person who is held hostage inside,” the victim’s lawyer Shannon Kennedy said.

The officers never tried to get a warrant to search the house, even if they didn’t have the ability to break into the home, the lawsuit said.

The Albuquerque Police Department continues to look into whether the officers could have entered the home without a warrant, a department spokeswoman said.

The victim was able to get away from Fajardo by coming up with a plan where he took her near the Valencia County Sheriff ’s Office. She told him their child was staying near the sheriff ’s office. When the two were in the area, the victim was able to run away from Fajardo and beg deputies for help.

Fajardo fled, but Albuquerque Police arrested him the next day from the home the victim was being held in. He eventually pleaded guilty to his crimes and is now serving a prison sentence.