The Human Trafficking Ring (so named by this wikia, unnamed in reality) appeared in Season Ten on Criminal Minds.
Background[]
Nothing is currently known about the ring, other than it was founded by Alex Zorgen sometime in or before 2008. Its central membership comprised of him, one of his first captives Donna Mangold, and their son Kyle. It targeted women and occasionally men, whom they would abduct and sell them to clients who would then kill them. At least some of these clients were fellow serial killers. The ring's headquarters was at Oakton, Virginia, although they targeted people in many states in the U.S.
Season Ten[]
X[]
The ring is seen at the end of the episode, in which Alex, Donna, and Kyle abduct a woman who is out jogging in the southwestern portion of the U.S. The scene then cuts to a brief montage of clients browsing through the ring's website in search of a potential victim to purchase. One of these clients comes across the woman who was previously abducted, who is up for sale. It is known that they provided serial killer Steven Parkett his third victim and a would-be victim who escaped after being tortured by him and was rescued by the BAU.
The Hunt[]
The ring reappears in the episode, in which Donna and Kyle abduct Meg Callahan and Markayla Davis after months of trying to lure them out. Alex had previously set his sights on them after Meg's aunt Kate began closing in on them; she had been surveying missing persons reports concerning the ring's victims. They take them to Alex's house and hold them captive in the basement. Later, they take them to the woods to meet Alex. There, Alex takes a look at them before Markayla is able to escape. Alex and Kyle pursue her, only to lose sight of her, causing Alex to kill Kyle in a fit of rage. Later on, Alex alters Meg's appearance and sells her to Colin Dupley. Afterwards, he and Donna are arrested by the BAU, and after JJ appeals to Donna, she reveals Meg's location. Meg is rescued shortly afterward, with Dupley being shot and killed.
Modus Operandi[]
In their known appearances, Alex, Donna, and Kyle targeted women and sometimes men living all over the U.S., whom they abducted. It is known they would lure a victim with a ruse before subduing and abducting them. Afterwards, they would take them to Alex's house in Oakton, Virginia, where their appearances would be altered (as a forensic countermeasure) and photos would be taken of them. These photos would be uploaded onto their website and used in online auctions. The auctions would also show information on them such as their gender, age, race, etc., presumably because the ring's clients were preferential and had fantasies that required a specific type of victim. The victims would be sold to clients, mostly serial killers who would then kill them and either make their deaths appear sudden or accidental, or dispose of their bodies or body parts in ways in which they would never be found or identifiable.
Profile[]
The unsubs are a ring of sophisticated human traffickers. Their operation is mobile, which is why it has gone undetected for so long. The group consists of a broker who leads the ring, a male accomplice, and a female accomplice. This trio finds potential victims and tailors their abduction plans according to each of the victims' vulnerabilities. Their victims are sold, most likely online to buyers who have been vetted by their team. A male accomplice was shot dead by the broker, suggesting infighting and tension, which could give authorities an opening in catching the ring. The broker is a master manipulator who has put on an innocent facade, while his female accomplice is possibly a compliant victim, who developed Stockholm syndrome after years in captivity. The group's sophistication level suggests they are experienced, so it is expected of them to employ forensic countermeasures to hide and change the appearance of the victims before the broker sells them off.
The ring is abducting and selling their victims not to be sex slaves, but to be victims of serial killers. Their operation is quite simple; the killers buying the ring's victims get to live out their fantasies, and in exchange for supplying the victims, the broker makes them agree to a disposal method, so he and his team are insulated from any investigation. Just like in Steven Parkett's murders, the behavior and forensics of the murders will only lead authorities to the customer who actually did the killing, not the broker. The broker is also smart enough to protect his network by encrypting all communication with his customers.
Real-Life Comparison[]
The ring appears to be partly inspired by Cameron and Janice Hooker - Both are teams of abductors and murderers holding one female victim captive for years, repeatedly raping her into developing Stockholm syndrome, targeted young women and girls (although the ring also targeted men), abducted them from the sides of roads with ruses, had the female accomplice present to gain their victims' trust, took them captive starting with in their cars, threatened them with wider networks of accomplices (though the network was real with the ring), the male leader shot one victim dead, and the same victim was left in an isolated area.
Known Members[]
- Leader: Alex Zorgen (incarcerated). Portrayed by Brian Howe.
- Lieutenant: Donna Mangold (institutionalized). Portrayed by Melora Walters.
- Follower: Kyle Zorgen (deceased). Portrayed by Brent Chase.
Known Clients[]
- Steven Parkett, a.k.a. "The Mad Butcher of Bakersfield" (deceased). Portrayed by Eric Frentzel.
- Colin Dupley (deceased). Portrayed by Kevin Fry-Bowers.
- Miles Hendrick (incarcerated). Portrayed by Chris Degner.
- Michael Rigby (incarcerated)
- Kevin Hawkins (incarcerated)
- ANON247 (incarcerated)
- LORDSHIP898 (incarcerated)
- Numerous unnamed clients all over the U.S. (all incarcerated) All portrayed by uncredited actors.
Known Victims[]
The dates and locations denote when the ring's victims were killed and where they were abducted
- At least fifty unnamed victims, all abducted in unspecified dates and locations and sold to clients who later murdered them. The names that are seen in Garcia's list are:
- 2008:
- February 8: B. Cork (drowned)
- April 3: P. Perkins (killed by falling)
- May 11: B. Hatchett (suffocated)
- July 20: M. Kuljuis (drowned)
- August 12: J. Geary (killed with surgical tools)
- August 19: S. Marshall (suffocated)
- August 25: M. Aubery (poisoned)
- November 8: J. Whit (killed by poisonous gas)
- November 9: R. Buffonlino (killed by an unspecified machine)
- November 14: J. Van Over (killed by falling)
- 2009:
- February 3: L. Gaffney (killed by falling)
- February 7: O. Ly (killed with surgical tools)
- May 3: K. Ksarris (killed in a car crash)
- June 27: D. Barfield (killed in a car crash)
- July 20: J. Ryan (killed in a car crash)
- October 1: R. La Porte (killed by falling)
- October 14: K. Veo (killed in a car crash)
- 2010:
- February 9: R. Henson (killed by an unspecified machine)
- April 17: T. Joy (killed with surgical tools)
- June 22: H. Alexander (killed by falling)
- July 5: J. Lee (killed in a car crash)
- July 10: M. Bruner (killed with surgical tools)
- July 19: P. Phung (killed in a car crash)
- August 1: R. Thompson (burned alive)
- September 17: H. Tarrizzo (killed in a car crash)
- October 17: V. Harrison (poisoned)
- October 18: J. Marie (burned alive)
- 2011:
- January 11: D. Davidson (shot)
- January 20: N. Dudzak (killed by falling)
- February 28: R. Schueuerman (shot)
- June 8:
- T. Hill (drowned)
- A. Seeger (poisoned)
- June 9: F. Levy (killed by falling)
- July 18: G. Datton (killed in a car crash)
- December 15: R. Rosett (suffocated)
- December 27: G. Sack (killed by an unspecified machine)
- 2012:
- April 24: D. Dreyer (suffocated)
- June 3: V. Jeffereds (killed by falling)
- July 30: H. Alridge (killed in a car crash)
- November 16: R. Luchow (killed in a car crash)
- 2013:
- January 23: J. Beattle (suffocated)
- March 7: V. Ruskin (killed in a car crash)
- April 27: T. Baseman (shot)
- June 9: C. Pittman (killed in a car crash)
- November 9: D. Jewell (killed by falling)
- 2014:
- April 13: R. Young (killed by falling)
- May 6: J. Yarner (burned alive)
- June 20: D. Johnson (killed by blunt-force trauma)
- July 8: T. Briggs (killed by poisonous gas)
- November 16: I. Woolf (killed by an unspecified machine)
- 2008:
- Unspecified dates:
- Modesto, California: Eileen Banks (sold to Miles Hendrick; later tortured and fatally stabbed in Largo, Maryland; her death was ruled as a car accident until May 1, 2015)
- Oakton, Virginia: Three unnamed women (abducted; all were rescued on May 1, 2015)
- Unspecified locations: Two unnamed women (sold to an unnamed client; both were rescued on May 1-2, 2015)
- 2014:
- Late September:
- Riverside, California: Kim Eakle (sold to and killed by Steven Parkett)
- San Diego, California: Angie Stanton (sold to Steven Parkett and tortured by him; escaped him and was rescued on October 1)
- October 2, southwestern U.S.: Unnamed woman (abducted and sold to an unnamed client; status afterwards unknown)
- Late September:
- May 1, 2015, Washington, D.C.: Meg Callahan and Markayla Davis (both abducted by Paige and Kyle):
- Meg Callahan (sold to Colin Dupley; was rescued)
- Markayla Davis (later escaped)
Notes[]
- The ring is similar to The Romani Family ("Bloodline") - Both were groups of abductors who had a similar structure: a dominant father who led their criminal activities, a mother who was abducted and brainwashed to share the group's ideology and who later developed severe Stockholm Syndrome, and a son who began participating in their offenses when he came of age. Additionally, both groups operated across the United States, and both groups abducted girls and women (though some of the ring's victims were male.)
- The ring is the second human trafficking ring to appear in the show's history. The first one appeared in the Season Six finale "Supply and Demand".
- The ring is the second of two unsubs in the show's history who were seen active for several episodes before the BAU investigate his case; their crimes occurred in three episodes and go unnoticed. The first unsub is John Curtis ("The Replicator"), who also committed crimes in three episodes that go unnoticed until "Perennials".
- In "Hashtag", it is possible that there was some foreshadowing relating to Kyle being offered: during a meeting between the BAU members concerning a case involving social media, Kate remarks that she does all she can to have Meg avoid the sites and posting her personal information online.