ARTICLE #134) Search for Jessie

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Search for Jessie
The Province by Suzanne Fournier

Searchers will comb the Nevada desert to find the remains of a young Kamloops woman whose mother fears was a victim of international human trafficking. Jessie Foster, 21, was last seen in Las Vegas, in 2006. Her mother, Glendene Grant, thinks she was sold into the U.S. sex trade. Grant said that a recent tip has renewed her fears that Jessie may have died and been dumped somewhere in the Nevada desert. The search for Jessie's remains will be led on Nov. 1 by Frank Mahoney, a retired U.S. police officer. "I strongly believe Jessie is still alive, but I had to pass on this tip and am very encouraged that Frank is leading the search," said Grant yesterday. UBC expert Benjamin Perrin said "it is well known that Las Vegas continues to be the hub of the sex trade," and that human trafficking of Canadian women to the U.S. is vastly underreported.