Oakland County Housekeeper Alerts Police To Human Trafficking Victim: Prosecutor

SOUTHFIELD, MI — An Oakland County housekeeper is being hailed as a hero for alerting police to a human trafficking victim.

On Sept. 10, prosecutors said a woman approached a housekeeper at the Marvin Gardens Inn in Southfield and asked for help.

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The woman told the housekeeper that she had been trafficked and was staying with a man she feared. She also said that she wanted to go to the hospital.

The housekeeper called the police, who determined the woman had traveled from Alabama to Michigan in April searching for a job.

The woman then met 27-year-old Tyria Janeice Florence Robinson, who forced her into prostitution and expected her to perform sex acts with multiple men each day, prosecutors said.

Robinson, of Detroit, has been charged with human trafficking enterprise, prostitution – transporting, prostitution – accepting earnings and prostitution – pandering.

She was placed in jail with a $100,000 bond.

"The woman who called the police on behalf of the victim is a hero," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. "Trafficking victims are in our communities and often need help escaping their traffickers. Simple actions, such as calling the police when something looks suspicious or asking someone if they need help, can save a victim."