A 16-year-old girl who went missing in North Carolina on Nov. 2 was found in Kentucky, with the help of a hand signal popularized on TikTok.
On Nov. 4, a driver called the police after noticing the girl in the passenger seat of a silver Toyota, traveling southbound on Interstate 75. According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s report, the girl appeared to be in distress. She used the viral hand signal from TikTok, indicating “violence at home – I need help – domestic violence.” The caller also identified the Toyota driver as an older male.
Laurel County 911 dispatched authorities, who conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle at Exit 41. When the vehicle was pulled over, the girl was identified as the missing girl from North Carolina through the National Crime Information Center. The driver, 61-year-old North Carolina resident James Herbert Brick, was arrested on the spot.
The girl told authorities that she left North Carolina with Brick willingly. According to public-affairs officer Gilbert Acciardo, the two were “acquaintances.” Brick took the girl through Tennessee and Kentucky into Ohio, where he had relatives. Once Brick’s relatives realized he had brought a minor reported missing, he was forced to flee into Kentucky, where the girl used the signal that resulted in her recovery and Brick’s arrest.
According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, the “Signal for Help” hand signal was devised to indicate domestic abuse. The sign was first implemented during the early days of COVID-19 quarantine when domestic abuse was projected to rise with families stuck inside. The signal consists of tucking the thumb into the palm with the palm facing out, then wrapping the other fingers around the thumb.
“The social isolation measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic are making it more difficult for those who are at risk of abuse or violence to safely reach out for help,” reads an explanation of the sign on the Canadian Women’s Foundation website. “‘Signal for Help’ is a simple one-handed sign someone can use on a video call. It can help a person silently show they need help and want someone to check in with them in a safe way.”
