North Carolina Man Arrested For Trafficking After 16-Year-Old Dies From Overdose

In North Carolina, authorities have charged a young man with human trafficking following a teenager’s overdose death on Tuesday.

Officers with the Greenville Police Department arrived at the Baymont Inn to call about a drug overdose. First responders rendered aid to the 16-year-old victim. Sadly, they were unable to save the girl, who is not being identified. The case is being treated as an overdose, though an autopsy is pending.

Following the girl’s death, police began looking into the teen’s boyfriend, 21-year-old Anthony James Cox. Cox began dating the girl when she was 15-years-old, and authorities believe that he forced her into prostitution during the relationship. The investigation led to Cox being charged with human trafficking, promoting prostitution, statutory rape of a child, sexual servitude of a child, and contributing to the delinquency.

Cox is being held on a $3 million bond.