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Missing New Jersey Teen – Feared To Have Fallen Prey To Sex Traffickers – Found Safe In Philadelphia
Aviana Weaver, who has been missing since Sept. 12 and whose case sparked outreach from rapper T.I., is being reunited with her family.
A missing New Jersey teen whose mother feared had been a sex-trafficking victim was found safe Monday in Philadelphia. Her recovery concludes a frantic search that inspired Rapper T.I. to push fans to lend help.
Aviana Weaver, 17, vanished from her Mount Holly, New Jersey home on Sept. 12. In a tweet posted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, authorities said she had been located by the Philadelphia Police Department and "is in the process of being reunited with her family.”
No other details were provided.
The office also expressed gratitude "to all who provided assistance."
Westhampton Township Police previously confirmed in a social media post that her Weaver's mother, Angelica Scarlett, had spoken with the teen over cellphone three days after she'd last been seen.
Then, her Weaver's cellphone deactivated and her mother raced to find her.
Scarlett began to fear her daughter had been forced into sex trafficking after saying she'd seen daughter’s likeness on pornographic websites.
“We have pornography pictures and my daughter looked completely upset and unhappy in these photos,” the mother originally told New Jersey 101.5. “[Investigators] believe she is in danger and being held against her will. She’s 17 and she looks upset.”
Scarlett believed her daughter wouldn’t have abandoned her home and explained at the time that she left without packing any clothing.
The search for Aviana reached a fever pitch recently as rapper T.I. turned to his fans to lend helping hands to help bring the girl to safety.
“FYI...Saying something if you see her ain’t gon make you a Rat lil homie,” the rapper wrote on an instagram post in that was dedicated to Aviana Weaver and featured the hashtag: #ProtectOurGirls.
