Crime & Safety

Police: Married Couple Smuggled, Forced Girl into Prostitution

Authorities charged an Oceanside man and woman with 13 felony counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years old.

The North County Human Trafficking Task Force arrested a married Oceanside couple Thursday morning on suspicion of sexually abusing an underage girl and forcing her to have sex for money.

Police say Inez Martinez Garcia, 43, and her husband, Marcial Garcia Hernandez, 45,  smuggled a 12-year-old child. The victim—now an adult—came forward with allegations, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities charged the man and woman with 13 felony counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years old.

Find out what's happening in Oceanside-Camp Pendletonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The department released details of the 2 1/2-year “cold case” human trafficking investigation:

The investigation revealed that the victim was smuggled into the United States at the age of 12 with promises of a better life and education. When the victim arrived at the Garcia household, she was forced to care for the couple's three young children, cook, and clean house under the constant threat of physical abuse. Over a twenty-one month period, the victim was forced to have sex with the husband. When the victim refused to participate in the sex acts or did not complete her tasks in a timely or correct manner, she was beaten.

Find out what's happening in Oceanside-Camp Pendletonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At one point, the victim was forced to lie about her age when the Garcia's found work for her at a local restaurant. When the victim received her wages, Inez Garcia would take the money and keep it for herself. As time went on, the victim was forced into having sex with other older men by the couple for monetary purposes.

Taking part in the arrest were members of the sheriff's Vista COPPS Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Oceanside Police Department.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.