What Happened To Deyanira Love? New Details On The Missing Rochester, New York Teenager
Deyanira Love has been missing since mid-March.
Democrat & Chronicle She disappeared from her home in upstate New York and hasn't been seen since. What happened to Deyanira Love?
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (via Parents Magazine), 74% of abduction victims in the United States are women. Furthermore, according to the outlet, there are “three distinct types of kidnapping: kidnapping by a relative of the victim or "family kidnapping" (49 percent), kidnapping by an acquaintance of the victim or "acquaintance kidnapping" (27 percent), and kidnapping by a stranger to the victim or "stranger kidnapping" (24 percent).”
Unfortunately, Deyanira Love is yet another statistic. The 14-year-old disappeared from her home in Rochester County, located in upstate New York, in mid-March. She hasn’t been seen since.
Let’s see what we know about where Deyanira Love may be.
1. Deyanira may be trying to get to Boston.
Although it’s really unclear why she would be trying to get to Boston — or what, really, is waiting for her once she gets there — there’s some speculation that Deyanira Love may be on her way to Boston, according to WEHC-TV.
“Authorities are asking for the public's help in locating a teenager who has been missing since March. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says 14-year-old Deyanira Love was last seen at her home in Rochester on March 18. Authorities believe she may attempt to travel to Boston,” reported the outlet.
2. Deyanira is biracial.
According to Rochester First, Deyanira Love is biracial, which adds another layer to her statistics kidnapping.
The US Department of Justice recently released a report about the “stereotypical kidnappings” that take place in the United States. More often than not, according to the governmental agency, the victims of kidnapping are white — not biracial. Additionally, “victims were, most commonly, ages 12 to 17, girls, white, and living in situations other than with two biological or adoptive parents. Half of all stereotypical kidnappings in 2011 were sexually motivated crimes against adolescent girls.”
While it’s not clear if Deyanira was living with either of her custodial parents at the time of her disappearance — or even if she was kidnapped, or simply ran away — what is clear is that her family is looking for her.
3. Could Deyanira be the victim of sex trafficking?
One of the most common crimes committed against kidnapped children is sex trafficking. However, runaways are more likely to become victims of sex trafficking than kidnapped children — and if Deyanira is a runaway, according to the Polaris Project, she is more likely to be trafficked than not.
“From 2007 to 2017, the National Human Trafficking Hotline, operated by Polaris, has received reports of 34,700 sex trafficking cases inside the United States. In 2017, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimated that 1 in 7 endangered runaways reported to them were likely sex trafficking victims. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.8 million people trapped in forced sexual exploitation globally,” according to Polaris.
4. There is a reward for the person who finds her.
Deyanira Love’s family hasn’t given up on finding her, according to WDKX-TV. “Anyone with information about Deyanira is asked to contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) or the Rochester Police Department (New York) at 1-585-428-6666,” says the outlet. There is also a “missing person’s” poster available for download on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. Find her online at www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com and www.longlivetheuprising.com.