Stadelman human trafficking

Akron police said a 16-year-old girl who is suspected of being a victim of human trafficking was found inside a home in the 700 block of Stadelman Avenue.

(Adam Ferrise, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

AKRON, Ohio -- Masked gunmen who fired shots at a 20-year-old man last month led police to find a 16-year-old suspected human-trafficking victim, according to court records.

The incident on Jan. 19 at a home in the 700 block of Stadelman Avenue led police to find a 16-year-old runaway who went missing on Oct. 20. The girl is believed to be a victim of human trafficking, according to court records.

An investigator with Cuyahoga County's Human Trafficking Unit tracked the girl's cellphone to the same home, court records say.

Investigators also found a backpage.com ad where the girl is advertised as an escort, according to court records.

The 20-year-old man told police he visited the girl at the home five times, including on Jan. 19.

He was in the home that day when three men, including two who wore masks, showed up at the home and demanded money.

The man ran from the home. One of the gunmen fired three or four gunshots at the man, who wasn't injured.

Akron police searched the home on Jan. 29 and found the girl. She was unharmed, police said.

Police seized two of the girl's cellphones, and cellphones belonging to three other people inside the home.

Investigators subpoenaed the phones' records to see if there is any evidence of human trafficking.

No arrests have been made in the shooting or the human trafficking investigation.