88 Kids Taken From Iowa Bible Camp Amid Major Human Trafficking Investigation
The Shekinah Glory camp, located in Columbus Junction in Louisa County, was searched by officers on Thursday and Friday (June 12 and 13). This came after a 15-year-old boy from Texas reportedly reached out to authorities and said he didn’t want to be there anymore.
After his call, all 88 children at the camp were taken to meet with child protection officials. They were brought to Wapello Methodist Church, which is about a 15-minute drive east of the camp in the small Iowa town of Wapello, near the Illinois border.
Louisa County Sheriff Brandon Marquardt spoke on Tuesday (June 17), saying that no one had been arrested yet. He also added that law enforcement couldn’t share many details due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
The camp is run by the Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation, a Christian nonprofit organization. According to their website, the ministry lists David Cung Nuam, Sui Hlawn Sang, and James Hei as their leading ministers.