Sheila Fredrick was starting a shift as a flight attendant, just like every other day. Then, she noticed something bizarre that would change everything…
Doing Her Job
Sheila Fredrick has been working as a flight attendant for over 10 years. Although she worked long shifts all across the world, she loved her job. She’s seen a lot of bizarre things as a flight attendant, but the scariest one was in 2011…
Sheila was on one of her shorter flights. It was just a quick two-hour flight from Seattle to San Fransisco, nothing major. After all of the passengers got settled, she noticed something weird about a pair…
Very Important Job
People really do overlook the flight attendant profession. They make sure passengers are comfortable and well fed, but they’re also the eyes of the plane. They’re the ones who spot anything wrong on board. Luckily, Sheila had a wonderful intuition.
Lifelong Career
Sheila felt that she was good at reading people. She was pretty empathetic and could register the feelings of a passenger quickly. That’s why one pair of passengers set something off in her head…
Very Smart
Usually, flight attendants are dealing with medical emergencies or intoxicated passengers causing a scene… Sheila was very used to these types of situations, but it usually never escalated from there.
Questionable…Â
Sheila attempted to keep a low profile. She went about her business and checked up on each passenger before she got to her targets. The second she began to talk to them, she knew something was off.
Is Something Wrong?
Sheila got a better look at the passengers. The woman’s clothes were messy and her hair was visibly raggedy. Yet, it wasn’t even her appearance that made Sheila suspicious. It was her behavior… She never looked up from her knees and never spoke.Wealthy Looking Man
The man she was with was the complete opposite. He was much older than her and wearing an expensive suit. They were obviously traveling together and made a very odd pair…
They Can’t Be Related…
So many red flags were going off. It’s so bizarre that they would be traveling together due to how dirty she was. If they were a higher profile couple, why would she look like that? Plus, every time Sheila tried to talk to the woman, the man spoke for her.
Uncomfortable Ride
Sheila want4d to get to the bottom of this. Despite the man doing all of the talking, he never addressed the young woman to her face. This was all too weird…
Red Flags
Sheila was not going to let this go. She kept a watchful eye on the young woman on the whole flight. She did her best to observe the couple without letting them know she was onto them. That’s when she noticed that the woman had bruises on her face and neck…
An Idea…
There was something inside of Sheila that told her to do something. She needed to devise a way to talk to this woman alone…
Hacking Out A Plan
Sheila had to act fast and sneaky. She needed to get through to the woman without tipping off the man. Anxiety rising, she approached them.
Difficult
Sheila once again tried to chat them up. The man was responding with short answers, obviously trying to get her away from them. When she tried to address the woman directly, he got angry and cut her off. Then, Sheila noticed something huge.
Bad Signs
The woman didn’t even flinch when Sheila spoke to her. It was as if she couldn’t make eye contact… Like, she wasn’t allowed to. Now, it was time for the next step.
It’s Time…
Sheila’s entire plan banked on the man leaving the woman alone for some reason… And, thankfully, he did. The second he was in the bathroom, Sheila rushed over to the woman and told her to go to the bathroom. Would this work?
It’s Working
Sheila couldn’t believe it… The woman got up and headed to the restroom where she would find a note from Sheila…
A Note
Sheila had written the woman a note asking, “Do you need help?” Sheila left her phone number on the note and a pen underneath. Will she write back?
She Needs Help
Sheila watched the bathroom door and waited for the woman to leave the bathroom. Once the woman was settled back in her seat, Sheila went into the restroom and saw the note. She had written, “Yes.”
She Needs A Plan
Sheila’s blood ran cold. So, her suspicions were correct… This woman was in a hostile situation and needed help. Sheila was close to discovering the dark truth.
Telling The Pilots
Sheila went to the pilots and told them what was going on. They immediately contacted authorities on the ground and prepared the police at the gate for when they arrived…
They Were Waiting For Him
Soon, the entire staff was aware of the situation at hand. It was tricky. They needed to get the police on the plane before the man and woman got off… So, when they landed, all of the passengers were instructed to stay seated. Then, the police came onto the plane…
Saving Her Life
They immediately went to arrest the man and took him off the plane. The police then recovered the woman as well. Turns out, the woman was a victim of human trafficking. She was abducted in Seattle and was being taken to San Fransisco…
She Looked Upset
Sheila was praised as a hero. After news broke, she got a lot of interview requests. About the situation, she said,  “The bruises that I saw on her, her appearance, her demeanor. I knew something was just not right. [She] looked like she had been through pure [torture].”
Training Is Important
Sheila went on to say, “I’ve been a flight attendant for ten years and it’s like I am going all the way back to when I was in training. And I was like, I could have seen these young girls and young boys and didn’t even know. If you see something, say something.”
A Big Issue
Human trafficking is a huge problem around the world… Especially in the U.S. Many people want to ignore that fact, but it’s a pressing issue. In 2017, 2,000 human traffickers were arrested in the U.S. and 50,000 women were assumed kidnapped by traffickers.
Everything Turned Around
Just because of Sheila’s incredible intuition, she saved this woman’s life. She would have endured some real horrors if it wasn’t for Sheila… Now, her life is changed completely!
A College Grad
The woman has since graduated from college and started her career. She and Sheila still stay in touch and update each other on what’s going on.Â
Living It Up
The woman ended up using Sheila’s phone number that she left on the note in order to contact her. Sheila said, “I put my phone number on the note that I left for her and I guess she memorized it, so a few weeks later, she called…”
Changing The World
Since the incident, Sheila has become a huge advocate for fighting against human trafficking. She’s been busy informing other flight attendants to notice the signs of trafficking through air travel.
Real Bravery
Instead of taking praise as the hero, Sheila always puts the attention on the victim. She always notes that she woman was brave enough to reach out for help when the stakes were so high. And, because of her bravery, she will be helping save tons of other women in the same situation…
The Signs
Since the incident, American Airlines has specific training courses to help flight attendants learn the signs of trafficking. Nancy Rivard is a former flight attendant, so she knows how it goes down. The biggest signs would be the victim not being responsive or looking up from their seat… Just like Sheila’s situation…
New Ways of Training
In a huge stride, Rivard met with trafficking victims in 2017 to further aid the training experience of the flight attendants.
Making A Difference
That training session lasted over the course of two days. Human trafficking victims were able to speak out about their experiences to show flight attendants just how real this is. All because of Sheila and the victim’s bravery, these extremely helpful training programs will help save other lives!