Kentucky girl escapes her kidnapper with a gesture she sees on TikTok

The missing girl was rescued after she used gestures from TikTok to ask for help, reports USAToday

Photo: Shutterstock

The 16-year-old girl, who had gone missing for several days, was rescued on November 4 when she caught the driver's attention using gestures to signal that she was in distress, the Kentucky Sheriff's office said.

The Laurel County Kentucky Sheriff's Department said James Herbert Brick, 61, of Cherokee, North Carolina, was arrested Nov. 4 afternoon for "false imprisonment" after he was pulled over on an interstate with a missing teen in the back seat.

The sheriff's office also said that sexual images of a teenager were found on his phone.

The gestures used by the teenager have been popularized on TikTok.

"They are conveying the message 'domestic violence - I need help - domestic violence,'" the sheriff's office said.

A witness who was driving his vehicle behind Brick's Toyota called 911 after recognizing the hand signals and told dispatchers the teen appeared to be in "distress."

According to the teen, she drove with Brick through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, the sheriff's department said.

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The department did not say which sign the teen was using, but lawyers previously advised people in distress to use hand gestures to quietly ask for help.

The Canadian Women's Foundation says an international, universal message for help in domestic violence and other disasters can be sent with one hand. Turn your palm forward and pinch your thumb, then close your other fingers over your thumb to “grab” it.

The sign does not necessarily mean you should call authorities immediately, the foundation notes, but rather means "contact me safely."

The sign has been circulated on social media, including TikTok, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, and isolation has led to an increase in domestic violence.

People are advised to use the hand signal discreetly on webcams or in other situations where they cannot speak freely about a dangerous situation or call for help.

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“The Help Signal is a tool that can sometimes help some people. Some people don't have the ability to make video calls. Find other resources, services and programs ... that may be helpful in unsafe situations, situations at home,” the Canadian Women's Foundation notes.

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