‘The information does not appear to have any validity’: Cambridge police say of widely-shared text message alleging ride-share human trafficking ring
The image circulated on social media claims the kidnapping of Olivia Ambrose had been connected to an alleged operation out of Cambridge.
The Cambridge Police Department said Thursday that a claim that the kidnapping of Olivia Ambrose had been connected by authorities to an investigation into a human trafficking ring operated out of the city by ride-share drivers “does not appear to have any validity.”
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“We want the community to be aware that several residents over the last 12+ hours have shared images of a text message that has been circulating around the region,” the department said in a statement. “The image notes there is an investigation into a human trafficking ring being operated out of Cambridge by ride-share drivers and is related to the Olivia Ambrose investigation. As we have communicated to those who have inquired with us, the Cambridge Police Department has no knowledge of any such information or investigation and the information does not appear to have any validity.”
The text message, citing an unnamed “top investigator in Boston,” claims Ambrose’s abduction was connected to a criminal enterprise comprised of 11 drivers who abduct girls by offering them “water or a piece of candy” laced with drugs and warns the recipients not to take the ride-share service alone or at night.
The Boston Police Department declined to comment on the text message.
Victor Pena, 38, was arrested Tuesday and charged with kidnapping Ambrose on Saturday night after she left a bar near Boston’s Faneuil Hall. He allegedly held the 23-year-old Jamaica Plain woman against her will in his Charlestown apartment until authorities — through canvassing, surveillance footage, and tracking her cell phone information — knocked on his door Tuesday afternoon. Pena was ordered by a judge on Wednesday to undergo a 20-day mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital after a court clinician found his behavior to be “somewhat psychotic but also bizarre.”
On Wednesday, Cambridge police shared a list of safety tips for using a ride-share service or a taxi, such as making sure the driver’s information matches the app you are using and sitting in the backseat if you’re riding alone.
“If anyone has any questions or concerns about any particular public safety matters, we strongly encourage them to contact us directly for any relevant information,” the department said.
https://www.facebook.com/CambridgePolice/photos/a.126745027363549/2153139954724036/?type=3&theater
