Human trafficking survivor tells her story in Elkton

ELKTON — Human traffickers seek out teenage girls and young women who are vulnerable — and that’s what Shamere McKenzie was some 14 years ago.

McKenzie was a junior majoring in criminal justice at a New York college, when a hamstring injury resulted in her losing her full track scholarship, leaving her looking for a way to finance her education. After securing a college loan, she still needed $3,000.

Around that time, McKenzie met a handsome, educated man who listened intently to everything that she had to say, and they started seeing each other regularly.

He provided McKenzie free lodging in a basement apartment, so she no longer would have to pay for her off-campus housing. And he provided her with a job that, at the outset, seemed innocent enough.

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