A teenager uses hand signals circulating on “Tik Tok” to warn that she is in danger
A missing teenage girl has been found in North Carolina after using the hand sign circulating on the social networking site “Tik Tok” to warn that she is in danger.
Authorities said the 16-year-old used hand signals that “represent violence in the home – need for help – domestic violence”.
The missing girl was found by authorities after she caught the attention of a driver using common hand gestures on the social media platform TikTok.
According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky, the girl was inside a silver Toyota when a driver saw her using hand gestures known on TikTok to “represent violence in the home – I need help – domestic violence.”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SIGNAL
Isolation can increase the risk of violence at home. Use this discrete gesture during a video call to show you need help:
1. Hold hand up with palm facing other person.
2. Tuck thumb into palm.
3. Fold fingers down over thumb. pic.twitter.com/gsIgSbXOmc— Halton Police (@HaltonPolice) August 24, 2021
The governor’s office said in a statement that after learning what the signals meant and seeing that the teen “appeared in distress”, the driver called 911.
The alert led to the arrest of 61-year-old James Herbert Brick of Cherokee, North Carolina, on Thursday afternoon while driving near the Kentucky Expressway.
Laurel County Sheriff John Root said in a statement that the girl, who was found in the car that Brick was driving, had been reported missing to her parents in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning.
The girl also told authorities that she traveled with Brick through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio, according to the statement.
Root said investigators also found a phone in Brik’s possession “allegedly to have sexually photographed an underage girl”.
Brick faces charges of unlawful imprisonment and possession of material showing the sexual performance of a minor over 12 but under 18, according to the sheriff’s office. He’s being held at the Laurel County Correctional Center on a $10,000 cash bond.
The mayor’s office did not describe the sign the teen used, but the hand gesture first made by the Canadian Women’s Foundation last year has been adopted by many people globally who need to discreetly ask for help or show they are in distress.
@justinalindeman Signo de mano Internacional que significa ‘Ayudame’ #abusodomestico #defensapersonalparamujeres #mujeresfuertes #ayudame
The gesture is to raise the hand up, using the palm, with the thumb bent, then the fingers folded down.
Comments are closed.