AN alleged child sex trafficking camp with a sinister underground bunker, a so-called “rape tree” and the name “Maddie” written on a branch has been discovered by US veterans on patrol.

The abandoned camp, just outside of Tucson in Arizona, was uncovered by an ex-armed forces group which helps homeless veterans.

11 The name Maddie was found written on a tree branch at the site Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

11 The veterans believe this is a "rape tree" used to restrain children Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

Although police do not believe the camp is related to sex trafficking, the veterans say it is like “no other homeless camp” they’d ever seen - and firmly believe it has been used to hold and abuse children.

The makeshift camp contains an underground bunker - accessible only by small children - which was found full of toys and children’s clothing.

The Veterans On Patrol group claim the bunker could be locked from the outside but those on the inside would not be able to escape.

Chillingly they also found a tree which they claim is a “rape tree” with small hand restraints at a child’s height.

11 The entrance to the underground bunker, which was filled with children's toys and clothes Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

11 This was the view inside the underground bunker, which could be locked from the outside Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

The name “Maddie” can also be seen written on a tree branch in what appears to be a youngster’s handwriting.

Veteran Jon McLane, the group's chaplain, told Sun Online: “I’ve been a homeless advocate for a decade and I have seen hundreds of camps and I’ve been homeless myself and I’ve never seen a camp like this.

“It had an improvised jail and due to the items that were in there it certainly looked like an improvised jail for children.

“From everything I saw I couldn’t imagine this site being anything but what we think it is - which is a child sex trafficking camp.

“Having four children myself - ranging in age from one to 12 - it’s hard to comprehend something like this.

11 Jon McLane is the chaplain of Bravo Base, a nearby camp for homeless veterans Credit: Facebook/ Jon McLane

11 Homeless advocate Jon said it was like no other homeless camp he'd seen Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

“I’m a combat veteran and I’ve tried to look at this from a logical and analytical point of view, but from everything I’ve seen I can’t see what else this could be.”

The 35-year-old, an army veteran and dad-of-four, said he and the other veterans were very emotional when they first came across the camp.

Describing what he saw inside, he said: “When you enter you can see the underground area and there is a kind of outdoor restraining area - what people are calling a ‘rape tree’.

“The straps are embedded into the tree in a way that whoever was tied to that could not get off.

11 The camp was discovered by members of the Veterans on Patrol group Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

11 Group member Lewis Arthur has been making live updates from the scene Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

“I’ve seen so many homeless camps and I’ve never seen anything like this nor could I imagine why a homeless camp would have something like this.

“The height, the length and width look like they were designed for children and definitely the straps themselves looked like they were one step away from being ready to attach someone to.

“I work in a veterans village right now, building houses and renovating homes so I know about building and fastening and I know of all these different ingenious ways homeless people use to make a camp - and that’s not what we’re looking at here.

“For one it’s a really sophisticated type of system with it being underground and there’s a part where you can lock it from the outside but you can’t get out if you’re on the inside.

11 This map shows the location of the camp south of Tucson, Arizona Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

“This is not for adults - the entrance is small so only a small child can fit in there, and there’s children’s toys and clothing all over the place - lots of children’s paraphernalia.

“The name ‘Maddie’ is written on a branch near the outside restraining area where the wrist restraints are and that’s right outside the underground bunker.

“It looks like it could have been written by someone the age of my 12-year-old daughter - perhaps older or younger - it’s hard to tell.

“But certainly the way it’s written and where it’s located it certainly doesn’t seem like it was written in favourable conditions.”

Sun Online spoke to several others who had visited the site - a remote area located off the I-19 freeway near Tucson - who also believed it was a child sex trafficking camp.

11 Lots of children's items including a Barbie doll were found Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

Detectives from Tucson Police Department have also visited the site - and earlier on Monday a team with cadaver dogs investigated the area.

However in a statement released late Monday, Tucson Police Department said they had conducted a thorough inspection of the site and did not believe the site was related to human trafficking.

“Based on the department’s investigation to this point, there is no indication this camp is being used for any type of criminal activity, including human trafficking,” Chris Magnus, the Chief of Police, said.

“Yesterday, an unsubstantiated assertion was made that a body might be buried at the site.

"A cadaver dog was used to check the area with negative results.”

11 Tucson Police say they have found no evidence of criminal activity at the site Credit: Facebook/ VOP Alpha Co Team Pulaski

They added that they were now working with property owners to clear out the encampment.

The veterans have been critical of the local law enforcement in messages and videos posted on social media - claiming they responded too late to the scene and lost vital opportunities to secure evidence and hunt whoever may be responsible for the site.

Lewis Arthur, from Veterans on Patrol, has made several live videos on Facebook showing people around the site and asking for volunteers to help their “search and rescue mission”.

Following the police statement, Lewis insisted the camp was related to sex trafficking and believes his group have stumbled across a huge human trafficking corridor between the US and Mexico.

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He said: “Until someone who is an expert in this field tells us this is not related to human trafficking we’re going to keep looking because we know.”

Lewis described the camp as “sick” and is asking for volunteers to help track more camps down in the area.

“We’ve got leads on three different camps that are not too far from here,” he said. “We are going to go out and search three locations…We believe we have stumbled across a very massive human trafficking corridor.”

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