Aurora police trafficking unit recovers 29 survivors, including 15 minors, in first year

Aurora police say a specialized human trafficking unit created last year opened 53 cases, arrested 28 suspects and recovered 29 survivors, including 15 minors, during its first 12 months.

The Aurora Police Department formally established the Human Trafficking Unit in September 2025 after city officials identified a need for investigators trained to handle cases centered on exploitation, particularly involving young people.

Sergeant Joseph Sullivan, who leads the unit, said the first year's figures do not show a sudden rise in trafficking in Aurora. He said they reflect the department's decision to dedicate investigators to a crime that was already present.

"The unfortunate thing [about] any crime is once you start to look deeper into something, the more of it you're going to find," Sullivan said.

The unit's current work focuses primarily on people under 21 who are being exploited. Sullivan said many of the survivors recovered by detectives had been reported as runaways.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, children who run away from foster care or other state custody placements face some of the highest risks among missing children. The organization says traffickers target them because they are often struggling to find shelter, food and stability.

Sullivan said the risk is not limited to children in state custody. He said traffickers also target young people who are seeking drugs or who share personal vulnerabilities online.

"Traffickers can identify kids through social media if they have access to their accounts," Sullivan said. "It could also be an introduction from a friend to be like, 'Hey, I know this guy and this is what he gets me. You should come meet him.'"

Sullivan said the cases handled by the unit vary widely. Some involve a single person exploiting someone in exchange for drugs. Others begin with one suspect and grow as detectives identify more survivors and additional people involved.

"We have a couple cases running right now where there's one individual that's kind of at the center of it and then it branches out and it creates more of an organized crime kind of dynamic," he said.

The unit also receives tips from hospital and school social workers. Detectives sometimes identify potential trafficking cases by searching for keywords in investigations handled by other parts of the department.

Among the suspects arrested during the unit's first year is Marshae Wheelock, 24, of Aurora. Police said Wheelock is connected to multiple human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases spanning several years and involving multiple children.

According to Aurora police, Wheelock has three active court cases in Arapahoe and Adams district courts. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month and faces eight to 16 years in prison.

Deputy Chief Mark Hildebrand called Wheelock the type of offender the unit was created to investigate.

"Marshae Wheelock represents the type of offender the Human Trafficking Unit was created to investigate; someone who repeatedly preys on vulnerable children," Hildebrand said. "I'm proud of the work our investigators did to identify this pattern of exploitation and build these cases to ensure he cannot victimize another child in our community."

Colorado voters will decide in November whether to increase penalties for child sex trafficking. Proposition 133 would make human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude punishable by life in prison without parole. The measure would also expand the crime to include knowingly exchanging something of value to buy sexual activity with a minor.

After a survivor is recovered, the unit works to connect them with organizations that can provide housing, food, therapy and other services.

"Putting bad guys in jail is great," Sullivan said. "However, getting our survivors the resources to succeed and make progress in their lives is what the focus should be."

The unit now has three dedicated detectives. Sullivan said investigators know labor trafficking and trafficking of adults over 21 are also occurring in Aurora, but the unit is concentrating on cases involving young people while it builds capacity.

"Being able to expand some of our reach would be phenomenal," Sullivan said.