Court records describe an alleged assault and a chain of suspects tied to hotels along the Gulf Coast.
GULFPORT, MS — New court records are providing a clearer picture of how a 14-year-old girl escaped an alleged human trafficking situation in Gulfport and how investigators say six people became involved in moving, selling and exploiting the runaway child across the Gulf Coast and into New Orleans.
The records, described by local authorities as part of an expanding investigation, include an arrest affidavit that outlines a violent encounter inside a Gulfport home and the moments before the girl fled through a window. Police have arrested six suspects since late January, charging them with felonies that include human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and forcible rape. The case has drawn fresh attention in South Mississippi because of the victim’s age, the number of suspects and the way investigators say the girl was taken from place to place.
According to investigators, the case unfolded in stages, beginning with reports of a runaway juvenile and later widening into allegations that the child was held in a hotel room against the wishes of her legal guardian. Police said the girl was located on Jan. 22 and that detectives continued to build the case through interviews and follow-up arrests made between Jan. 22 and Feb. 4. In the newest records, detectives described an earlier incident in Gulfport on Jan. 6 that they say set the stage for later trafficking and abuse.
The victim is identified in records as K.B. Detectives said she was left on the side of the road on 20th Street in Gulfport on Jan. 6. A 49-year-old man, Bobby Terrell Mills, is accused of approaching the girl after she was dropped off and of using the fact that she was a runaway to get her inside a nearby home. The affidavit alleges that inside the home Mills assaulted the girl after she refused sexual demands. The girl pleaded for him to stop, the affidavit says. Detectives said Mills then threatened her and used nude photographs to blackmail her after the assault. In the affidavit, detectives wrote that the girl begged to leave and that Mills threatened to kill her if she did not comply.
Detectives said the violence and threats continued for roughly 11 hours. When the girl tried to leave, investigators said Mills struck her, including with a piece of cinderblock. The affidavit says the girl ultimately escaped by climbing out a window. When officers found her, detectives wrote that she had bruises on her face, arms and body, and that she had bite marks on her shoulder and neck. Mills was later arrested and is charged with one count each of human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and forcible rape, records show. In separate statements, police have said Mills’ bond was set at $1.6 million.
Authorities say the investigation broadened beyond what happened inside the home after officers responded to complaints involving a runaway juvenile and began working with child welfare officials. Police said the juvenile was located safely on Jan. 22. Investigators said Michael Eric Moses, 40, was holding the juvenile inside a hotel room against the will of her legal guardian. Moses is charged with kidnapping, and police have said his bond was set at $250,000. Police also said the juvenile was held against her will between December 2025 and January 2026 and was forced to perform sexual acts for Mills under threats that she would be reported as a runaway if she refused.
In statements released earlier in the investigation, police said Mills told detectives that two people transported the juvenile to him and offered to sell her for about $30 and drugs. Detectives said they identified Marcus Alan Mann, 35, and Richard Sherrol Weir, 60, as suspects who facilitated transportation and the alleged sale of the juvenile. Mann is charged with human trafficking and kidnapping, and police said his bond was set at $750,000. Weir is charged with human trafficking, and police said his bond was set at $250,000. The records describe a chain of alleged handoffs that investigators say treated the child as property to be moved and traded.
Police said two other suspects, Jeffrey Devon Pruitt, 41, and Latasha Ann Smith, 27, were accused of transporting the juvenile to multiple hotels throughout the Gulf Coast and to New Orleans for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Both are charged with human trafficking, and police said their bonds were set at $250,000 each. Investigators have not publicly identified every location involved or the full timeline of when the girl was moved between hotels. Authorities also have not said whether additional arrests are expected, though police have described the case as ongoing.
Advocates who work with trafficking survivors say cases often involve victims who have run away or who are otherwise vulnerable, and that traffickers can use isolation, threats and humiliation to maintain control. In an interview after the affidavit became public, trafficking advocate Kathryn Bezue of the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence said the low amount of money described in records was not surprising and that trafficking is often driven by a desire for control rather than profit alone. “Sometimes it’s not even about the money,” Bezue said. “It’s really about whatever that trafficker wants.” She said traffickers commonly target insecurities and try to reduce a victim’s self-worth to keep them compliant.
The new affidavit also leaves open key questions that investigators say they are still trying to answer, including who first trafficked the child and who dropped her on 20th Street on Jan. 6. Police have not released the name of the person the affidavit says left the girl on the road, and it was not immediately clear whether that individual is among those already charged. Officials have not said whether prosecutors are reviewing potential charges against additional suspects connected to the initial pickup or the alleged handoff for cash and drugs. Investigators also have not disclosed whether any federal agencies are assisting or whether the case could be pursued in federal court.
For now, the case is moving through the court system with multiple defendants facing felony counts. Police have said the arrests occurred between Jan. 22 and Feb. 4, and that the investigation expanded as detectives connected witness statements and suspect interviews. Court records describe the victim’s escape as a turning point that allowed officers to locate her, document injuries and begin tracing where she had been taken. The next milestones are expected to include bond reviews, initial court appearances and future hearings as prosecutors present evidence and defense attorneys respond to the allegations.
As of this week, six people remain charged in connection with the investigation, and police have indicated they continue to seek information about the earliest stages of the girl’s exploitation. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the case to contact investigators. The case remains active, with detectives still working to determine who first trafficked the child and how she was moved through the region.
Author note: Last updated February 14, 2026.