Ryan Last came from a stable family life, had a bright future and no history of drug abuse or mental health problems.
He had just finished touring the University of California campuses he hoped to attend in the fall.
None of that mattered to the blackmailers who catfished him and then left him feeling like he had no choice but to take his own life, which the 17-year-old did back in 2022.
The stories Friday at the 11th Annual SCV Human Trafficking Prevention Summit at College of the Canyons involved tragedy and triumph, intended to raise not only awareness of the danger, but also hope for recovery with community involvement, Sylvia Lacy-Miller said.
Lacy-Miller, a community health worker in Acton, shared the story of how she became an advocate. Struggling to raise two daughters after her divorce, she talked about the risk factors that contributed to her daughter falling victim to human trafficking.
“If you are here today and have a child that has been impacted by human trafficking, I would like to remind you of the importance and power and your connection to your child,” she said.
“There is hope, no matter how hard that it may become,” she said, emotion taking over as she shared how they reconnected. “Protect your kids and love them unconditionally.”
Pastor Dan Broyles, one of the event’s organizers, said his goal was to bring trusted voices like ZOE International, which also fights child trafficking, to the local conversation and give people the tools to help each other.
“Everybody can do something small, even if it’s more education for themselves, or telling someone else about the agencies,” Broyles said, “just help the organizations they work be a little more informed … maybe to see some of the dangers better, because it’s really, I see it as a community fight.”
Prior to Lacy-Silver, who’s also shared her story with state lawmakers as part of her advocacy, two Los Angeles Police Department detectives with the five-county Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force shared the Ryan Last case study.
Last was contacted by someone online, developed a rapport, was convinced to send the person a nude selfie and then the threats began. In a scam known as sextortion, the suspects demanded thousands of dollars, or they were going to expose Last to all his friends, family and even the colleges he was hoping to attend. He was left feeling hopeless and out of money. Last’s lifeless body was found by a neighbor hanging from a rope not long after the threats began.
The Last family’s quest for justice is ongoing, as the teen’s 2022 death led to only a three-year sentence for Jonathan Lassi, the “money mule” convicted through electronic evidence seized by the task force.
However, Lassi’s computer led to officers’ knowledge of further criminal activity, and in May, the FBI worked with the task force to arrest several suspects believed to be from Côte d’Ivoire in Africa. They’re now expected to face federal charges connected to Last and other victims.
The presentation by LAPD Detectives Maurice Kwon and Erik Powers also focused on the resources available to victims.
One of the more recent tools, which the detectives encouraged parents in the audience to screenshot and share, is Take It Down, a service that’s developed in the last 18 months.
COC hosts annual summit on human trafficking
