The girl, who stands 4 feet 11 with an olive complexion and long, wavy dark hair, disappeared for days. Later, an uncle was shocked to come across a nude picture of Desiree in the shower on a Craigslist posting. He called the telephone number listed looking for his niece. She answered and, recognizing his voice, hung up. Technology and cell phones have given pimps greater reach and the ability to solicit pedophiles from all over the country who are willing to pay top dollar to have sex with children.
Demand is great and the profits are huge. She also was arrested for possession of drugs and was charged with truancy.
It was last winter when Desiree went to the mall with some high school girlfriends who, after telling her how much money they could make as prostitutes, recruited her.
Desiree agreed to share her story because she wants others to know what she experienced as a teen prostitute. She said she is not ashamed and hopes her story will raise awareness about the issue. Desiree thought a life on the streets would be better than living at home with her mother, who spent a decade addicted to crystal meth. Desiree said she also felt comfortable around older men, because when she was 12, her father forced her to touch his penis. He was later sent to prison for that — convicted of lewd acts with a child — and other charges.
Experts say Desiree fits the profile of underage girls who end up turning tricks — many of them have run away from unhappy home lives. They looked for men who were willing to pay for sex or take them joy riding around town. Desiree was caught with ecstasy pills in her purse. She said the police told her the man had a machete in his car and could have killed her. After that incident, Desiree decided she would be better off working for a year-old pimp she met through her friends. One day while she was in the shower, Desiree said her pimp took naked pictures of her to post on Craigslist.
