Narrative:
In December 2025, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Unit was notified of a missing juvenile from Ventura County. During the investigation, detectives located evidence indicating the juvenile was being sex trafficked in Los Angeles. Detectives from multiple investigative units within the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Crime Analysis Unit, worked tirelessly to locate the juvenile. The juvenile was safely reunited with their family in early January.
Based on evidence found during the investigation, detectives identified Bryan Jessie Garcia, a 23-year-old resident of Los Angeles, as the juvenile victim’s trafficker.
Garcia used a popular social media platform to groom the juvenile, gain their trust, and eventually coerce the juvenile to leave their home in Ventura County to be sex trafficked near the Figueroa Street corridor, a known high-sex-trafficking area.
Traffickers commonly use social media platforms to identify, groom, and exploit minor victims. In this case, Garcia utilized online messaging to build rapport with the juvenile through consistent communication, flattery, and emotional manipulation. Over time, he normalized criminal behavior, offered perceived support and attention, and exploited the juvenile’s vulnerabilities. These grooming tactics are designed to establish trust, create dependency, and ultimately coerce minor victims into leaving their homes and engaging in commercial sex acts while under the trafficker’s control.
On January 23, 2026, a coordinated operation was conducted by detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. During the operation, detectives located and arrested Garcia near the Figueroa Street corridor in Los Angeles. A search warrant was also executed at Garcia’s residence in Los Angeles.
As a result of the investigation, Garcia was arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for violating the following California Penal Code sections, with his bail set at $1,000,000:
- 236.1(c) - Human Trafficking of a Minor.
- 261.5(d) – Unlawful Sexual Intercourse
- 288(b)(1) – Forcible Lewd Act Upon Child
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office reminds parents and guardians of the dangers of online grooming of minors. Traffickers often use social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps to build trust, manipulate vulnerable youth, and ultimately exploit them. Detectives encourage parents to stay engaged in their children’s online activity, watch for behavioral changes or secrecy, and maintain open communication, as awareness is a key factor in preventing exploitation.
Detectives encourage anyone who believes they are a victim, or who knows someone who may be a victim, to contact “211” or local law enforcement to be connected with support services.
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