Missing Michigan Woman Calls Family from Motel Where She Was Being Held Captive

A missing Michigan woman who has been gone since 2017 has been found. She called her family from a motel where she was being held captive. Now, she and her family are reunited, seven years after she first went missing.

The Michigan State Police Metro Detroit Post shared the news on social media. According to the official news release, this is being investigated as a possible human trafficking case. The victim was in her 20s when she was abducted, and now, she's in her 30s.

The scary story started Monday (Feb. 26) when detectives received a tip about a missing person. Someone called detectives and said that her stepdaughter, who had been missing since 2017, had reached out to her from a motel in Inkster, where she was being held captive. Police did their digging and found out that the victim was being held at the Evergreen Motel in Inkster.

According to the release, troopers and detectives went to the motel, where they found the missing Michigan woman. "A girl was heard screaming and crying from a motel room," the statement reads. "Troopers made forcible entry into the room and recovered her." The statement adds that she was transported to Beaumont Dearborn for a medical evaluation and was interviewed by detectives. Then, she was reunited with her family and given other resources to help her recover. A search warrant was conducted, and SIS seized drugs, cell phones, and a firearm, police said. They also identified a suspect. TAG will continue to investigate to determine if human trafficking was involved, they stated. First Lieutenant Mike Shaw added, "Great work by TAG detectives following this tip and rescuing this woman and getting her back with her family."

Thank God for the police that rescued her. If you have information about this or any other possible human trafficking case, call 888-373-7888. You'll also find lots of helpful information about missing persons here.

Where did 2023 go? The year is almost over, and we're about to usher in a fresh start. As always, some new laws are going into effect at the start of the fresh year. This year, some of these laws are hot topics, including minimum wage and guns. Depending on your situation, these laws could really impact your life, so let's delve into these Michigan laws going into effect in 2024.

Actually, before we get into 2024, let's look at a refresher of what laws went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. First of all, last year going into the current hear, there was a minimum wage increase. At the time, the minimum wage increase went from $9.87 an hour to $10.10 an hour. It's going up again this year, and you'll find more on that below. Also, another law that went into effect this year was automatic expungement of records. That started in April of 2023, and according to Michigan.gov, it's regarding an automated system for expunging convictions. So, now, residents who want to expunge their records don’t have to file an application. According to Michigan.gov, up to two felony convictions will be expunged the later of 10 years after sentencing or the person’s release from custody. Also, up to four misdemeanors will be expunged seven years after sentencing. Some conviction will not qualify for automatic expungement.

Now, that's the past. Let's get into the future. Here are the new laws going into effect in 2024 via Michigan.gov. Most of these laws will actually go into effect 90 days after the legislature ends, which is Feb. 13, 2024. However, the exception to that is the minimum wage increase, which goes into effect on Jan. 1. It's worth pointing out that there are more new laws going into effect this year than last year, at least at this point in the year. There are a ton, actually. So, you might want to keep this list handy throughout the year.

Beginning on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, the state of Michigan's minimum wage will increase from $10.10 to $10.33. This change is thanks to Michigan's Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act of 2018. That law resulted in an annual schedule of increases.

This year, Gov. Whitmer signed a bill restoring a prevailing wage act. This bill means that Michigan-hired contractors are required to pay their employees at the union level.

Now, 16-year-old high school students in Michigan are able to pre-register to vote. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says, "This new law helps us prepare the next generation of voters to inherit their democracy, bolstering our state’s commitment to engaging young people, educating them about the democratic process, and getting them ready to cast a ballot once they turn 18."

Michigan's right-to-work law is being repealed. The state's "right-to-work" law was passed over a decade ago. Michigan's "right-to-work" law had enabled workers in union settings to choose not to pay union dues and fees.

Earlier this year, Whitmer signed an expansion of the Elliot-Larsen Act. The act includes protection for those who are discriminated against due to sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. That's includes those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Michigan's third-grade reading law has been repealed. The original 2016 law made schools identify students who were struggling in reading and writing and hold them back a year if they were more than one grade level behind. Now, that requirement has lifted.

New gun laws are here, and these were introduced into Lansing following the tragic shooting at Michigan State University. The House and Senate passed these bills, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed them. The new laws require safe storage (gun owners must lock their weapons away, if a minor is expected to be in the home), background checks (mandatory, no matter how you're buying a firearm) and "red flag" (to cut down on possible violence for those who may have mental health problems or have threatened others).

Gov. Whitmer recently signed the Clean Energy & Climate Action Package, with a plan to have Michigan 100% clean energy by 2040. If all goes as planned, the state will produce 100% of its energy from clean sources by 2024.