Court papers: Kidnapping victim made several attempts to get away

HENRIETTA, N.Y. – Two people seen on video dragging a woman from the Microtel hotel in Henrietta remain behind bars, charged with kidnapping. The woman was looking for help after being forced into prostitution.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether the woman in the surveillance video is the victim of sex trafficking —but they do say she was trying to escape her situation and looking for help at the front desk of that hotel lobby

The video is hard to watch. You can see the victim on the far side of the desk refuse to leave with the 27-year-old suspect, Shuntiayana sims. Sims then appears to lose her patience and begins to try and drag the victim by her hair toward the door. The victim desperately tries to resist, grabbing the front desk, the walls and the door frames until the two get into the vestibule. That’s when Monroe County deputies say Cordell Brooks comes in from outside and essentially picks up the victim and carries her out the door to the car.

Court paperwork indicates the victim made several attempts to get out of the car as it drove away.
both suspects fought to keep her inside.

The front desk clerk at the Microtel called 911 and when deputies arrived, they were able to use the video to identify Sims and Brooks and eventually catch up with them. They say the victim was still in the back seat of the car. They got her to the hospital and connected her with the services she needs to try and move forward.

Mary Delella is a crime victim specialist with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Although she can’t talk about this case specifically, she did share with us how she works with women who are forced into prostitution or trafficked.

“Every day is a new day, absolutely — this might be your one opportunity to help this person move forward and get out of a situation that they’re in. And we know that especially in domestic violence cases, it’s not easy to leave — and in sex trafficking cases and prostitution cases, it’s not easy to leave — so we work with them to try and find what can we do to help you get out of the situation, what are your needs that are keeping you in this position,” she said.

The Monroe County Victim Advocate Services works with victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence. To find more information or contact them, go to this site.