The family of Kristen Galvan, a 15-year-old Houston girl who was sex trafficked and murdered, has stated that law enforcement failed her. They allege she was not protected after providing forensic interviews about her traffickers, and that it took over six years to identify her remains.
The Texas attorney general’s office announced on 28 July that Kristen’s remains had been positively identified using advanced DNA testing conducted over the past year. Parts of her skull, clothing, and an earring were found beneath a bridge in Missouri City, about 10 miles outside Houston, on 29 January 2020, approximately three weeks after she disappeared.
Kristen’s mother, Robyn Cory, said her daughter was bound with duct tape, beaten, and stabbed to death. The rest of her body has not been recovered. The Texas attorney general’s office has stated that an investigation into her homicide is ongoing.
Ms Cory said that Houston police did not offer the family witness protection after Kristen gave written statements that helped convict three men who trafficked her. She believes this could have saved her daughter's life. Two law enforcement officials, not involved in the case, reportedly told The Guardian that providing witness protection to trafficking victims, particularly those with gang affiliations, is considered best practice.
Kristen went missing again in early January 2020 after her family relocated her to her grandparents' home as a precaution. Ms Cory and private investigator Betty Simons claim Kristen’s disappearance was not treated with sufficient urgency by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which denied a request for an Amber alert and a request to ping Kristen's phone.