A Minnesota family says their daughter was sold for sex

"She was threatened numerous times, there were weapons, they kept her drugged," said a Minnesota mom who wishes to remain anonymous.

She is speaking about how her daughter became a victim of sex trafficking.

"Things like this don’t happen to families like us," she said.

The victim’s parents are keeping their identity hidden because they fear for their safety. In a video released by the BCA Tuesday, they describe how their daughter connected with sex traffickers online, was groomed and was taken to various hotels around the Twin Cities.

"Within one night these individuals had pegged her, become friends with her and were in contact with her on social media," her dad said.

Beth Holger with The Link, a Minneapolis crisis intervention service, says some sex trafficking victims are as young as 11 years old. She also says the pandemic has made it more difficult to get help.

"A lot of things shut down, so it made it tough to serve people and meet the need. More youth had more desperate needs than usual," Holger said.

According to the BCA, every month in Minnesota more than 10,000 ads are posted online selling victims for sex.