Unadilla Twp. Police make multi-count felony arrest after year-long investigation resulting from human trafficking tip.
Information provided by Unadilla Township Police Department
On Friday, May 26, 2023, Unadilla Township Police arrested Daryl Lanzon on a multiple count felony warrant issued by the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office. The charges included four counts of sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation, human trafficking and using a computer to commit a crime. The arrest was the culmination of an investigation that began in March 2022 when the Unadilla Township Police Department received a tip about possible human trafficking from the FBI.
The investigation revealed that Lanzon had befriended the victim, who is more than 20 years younger than himself, via social media. He was able to isolate the victim from her family and put himself in a position to be her only means of emotional and financial support. He manipulated her into performing sex shows online in order to support them. The suspect kept the proceeds for himself. Lanzon took her to multiple states over a period of several years before settling in Mich. The victim was afraid to leave due to threats to harm her and her family. She was subjected to this for another five years before she was able to escape in 2020. It took a couple of more years before she was ready to talk about what happened to her, and she called the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The victim wanted to ensure that this would not happen to someone else.
A search warrant was executed at the suspect’s residence by Unadilla Township Police with the assistance of Pinckney Police, Michigan State Police Emergency Services Team, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC). The suspect was arrested at that time on unrelated weapons charges. Multiple weapons, computers, cameras, and other related equipment were seized. Additional search warrants were obtained to examine the electronic devices. The Unadilla Township Police Department would like to recognize Investigator Ryan Hamlin for all the work that went into this complicated case.
Human trafficking is known to be a part of the sex trade, but can include other kinds of forced labor. It is more common than people want to believe. Nobody likes to think it can happen in their neighborhood or to their friends and family, but it can. Signs of human trafficking can include a person being disconnected from friends, family, school and social activities; pronounced changes in behavior; confusion; signs of mental or physical abuse; acting timid or submissive; being denied food, water or medication; deferring to someone who seems to control their activities and who they talk to; and a lack of personal possessions. If you suspect human trafficking, contact the police in your area or contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline, humantraffickinghotline.org or 888-373-7888.
