Three suspects arrested for sex trafficking of teen

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Three people are behind bars for trafficking a 16-year-old out of a New Orleans hotel.

According to Louisiana State Police, on Feb 2, Troop N responded to a call for service at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street in New Orleans. While the Troopers were conducting the initial investigation, they determined that one of the subjects they were interviewing was a missing 16-year-old juvenile.

The juvenile was listed as a runaway in the computer system. Through interviews, the Troopers found that the juvenile had been beaten, drugged, raped and “pimped” out by several different men in the past several days. Troopers immediately notified the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Special Victims Unit, who arrived and assumed lead in the investigation. The juvenile was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation and reunited with her family.

As detectives from the Special Victims Unit continued their investigation, they identified three suspects from St. Tammany Parish who were involved with the juvenile sex trafficking. Detectives began working closely with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, who were actively searching for a runaway 17-year-old, identified as Destiny Mears of Mandeville.

Through a coordinated effort with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, detectives identified two additional suspects along with Mears, 39-year-old Jayson Figueroa and 23-year-old Cordarrell Roudolph, both of Slidell.

Figueroa and Roudolph were both identified as the individuals who drugged the juvenile with Xanax, Opioids and other drugs, raped her while she was incapacitated and beat her. Mears was identified as attempting to recruit the juvenile into prostitution.

On Feb 4, all three suspects were located in St. Tammany Parish. Arrest warrants were obtained and Figueora and Roudolph were booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail for Trafficking of a Child for Sexual Purposes, Second Degree Rape and Felony Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile. Mears was booked for Trafficking of a Child for Sexual Purposes.

Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Special Victims Unit, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are continuing the investigation. Additional arrests may be forthcoming.