Executive Summary
- Police arrested Marlandow Jeffries and Lashandra Walker on human trafficking charges in East Point, Georgia.
- The investigation launched after a victim was found hiding and calling for help in a gas station bathroom.
- Authorities allege the operation moved victims across hotels in Morrow, Stockbridge, and Marietta.
- Investigators seized financial records, digital communications, and hotel logs as evidence.
East Point Police have dismantled an alleged human trafficking ring and arrested two suspects after a distress call led officers to a woman hiding in a gas station bathroom on Thanksgiving Day. Marlandow “Orlando” Jeffries, 45, and Lashandra Walker, 47, were taken into custody and charged with trafficking a person for sexual servitude.
According to arrest warrants cited by authorities, the investigation began on November 27 when officers responded to a welfare check at a Chevron station on Virginia Avenue. Police stated that they discovered a woman locked inside the restroom, screaming for help. She reportedly told responding officers that she had been trafficked across the metro area for several weeks and requested assistance in retrieving her belongings from a nearby hotel room.
Investigators traced the woman’s movements to the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson on Hardin Avenue. Hotel staff confirmed to police that the room in question had been repeatedly rebooked under Walker’s name. Authorities noted that Jeffries was also listed on the room registration but had departed the premises prior to law enforcement’s arrival.
The victim provided detectives with specific details regarding the operation’s scope, stating she was moved between multiple locations, including a Quality Inn in Morrow, a Holiday Inn in Stockbridge, and a Comfort Inn in Marietta. The East Point Police Department stated that officers have secured evidence including CashApp and Chime financial transaction records, as well as photographs, advertisements, and text messages that corroborate the allegations.
Investigative Outlook
The uncovering of this operation underscores the challenges law enforcement faces in tracking human trafficking networks that utilize transient lodging across multiple jurisdictions to evade detection. With the victim reporting the existence of a second woman who was also allegedly trafficked and assaulted, the investigation is expected to widen as detectives seek to identify further victims and potential accomplices. Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information to contact the East Point Police. It is important to note that Marlandow Jeffries and Lashandra Walker are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
