State Police arrested two New Orleans men Monday after they found a missing 16-year-old in an apartment, nude and incoherent.
Police were investigating the girl’s disappearance, and family said they were receiving threatening texts about her whereabouts. Detectives found the girl and two persons of interest. The child has received medical treatment and is now safe.
Justin Noel, 42, was arrested in Gentilly. He’s a registered sex offender with a prior forcible rape conviction. Steven Cooley, 54, was arrested at the apartment where the girl was found. He is out on parole for a manslaughter conviction. Both men were booked with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, but the investigation is ongoing and additional charges, as well as additional arrests, are “probable,” state police say.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a national anti-trafficking hotline serving victims and survivors of human trafficking and the anti-trafficking community in the United States. The National Hotline can be accessed by emailing help@humantraffickinghotline.org, submitting a tip through the online tip reporting form, and visiting the web portal at www.humantraffickinghotline.org. You can also call the hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text at 233733.
