Aurora, Colorado is a suburb of Denver, encompassing much of the eastern side of the metropolitan area, from around Interstate 70 to the Smoky Hill. Most of Aurora is just that; a quiet suburb, with a range of housing from cheap to mini-mansions, interspersed with shopping and entertainment, like so many American big-city suburbs.
Now, we have learned over the last couple of years that parts of Aurora have a darker side, in part due to the non-enforcement of immigration law by the Biden administration. On Thursday we learned of yet another incident, as the Aurora Police Department has announced a major human-trafficking bust.
Aurora Human Trafficking Unit Nets 28 Arrests, 29 Recoveries in Year 1 It’s been one year since the Aurora Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit was established and already it has proved itself to be a force multiplier in the agency’s mission to reduce victimization and stop exploitative behavior. In its first 12 months of operations, the Human Trafficking Unit launched 53 investigations, arrested 28 suspects and recovered 29 survivors of human trafficking activity, 15 of which were minors. The Human Trafficking Unit has recently grown to three detectives with a supervising sergeant. “When we set out to create a dedicated human trafficking unit, our mission was clear: put survivors at the center of our investigations while taking a targeted approach to identifying and holding traffickers accountable,” said Investigations Bureau Cmdr. Marc Paolino. “In its first year, this small, highly focused team has made a significant impact, particularly in protecting vulnerable victims and disrupting the sexual exploitation of minors. “The work they’ve done has made our community safer and sent a clear message that the Aurora Police Department will aggressively pursue anyone who exploits others for this type of heinous, criminal activity.” Among the 28 suspects arrested is Marshae Wheelock, 24, of Aurora, who is tied to numerous human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases over several years involving multiple child victims. Wheelock currently has three active court cases in Arapahoe and Adams district courts. In Arapahoe District Court, Wheelock is charged with trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pimping a child, pimping, pandering prostitution and engaging in human trafficking for sexual servitude. Wheelock recently accepted a plea deal with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and is scheduled to appear Nov. 6 in court for sentencing where he faces eight to 16 years in prison. Wheelock has two active cases in Adams District Court. In one, he faces similar charges of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pimping a child and pimping. Wheelock also has agreed to a plea deal with the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to appear Nov. 10 in court for sentencing where he faces 10 years in prison. Wheelock is charged with victim intimidation in his second Adams District Court case; crimes investigators determined he orchestrated from jail. Wheelock also accepted a plea deal in this case and faces two to six years in prison. “Marshae Wheelock represents the type of offender the Human Trafficking Unit was created to investigate; someone who repeatedly preys on vulnerable children,” said Deputy Chief Mark Hildebrand, who oversees the Aurora Police Department Investigations Division. “I’m proud of the work our investigators did to identify this pattern of exploitation and build these cases to ensure he cannot victimize another child in our community.” In another case, Human Trafficking Unit investigators engaged in February in an undercover operation involving a 16-year-old girl. Investigators recovered the teenager and later identified three suspects involved in the sexual exploitation of the 16-year-old for financial gain. Investigators arrested Aja Abney, 20, of Centennial, Dasjuan Goode, 38, of Aurora, and Damara Hester, 32, of Denver. All three face charges in Adams District Court. Abney, who is free on $30,000 bond, faces charges of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pandering a child and attempted pimping of a child. Goode, who is in custody on $75,000 bond, faces charges of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude and pimping a child. Hester, who is free on $20,000 bond, faces charges of pimping. All three cases are early in the court process. The Aurora Police Department is one of a few agencies in Colorado to create a dedicated Human Trafficking Unit. Established in September 2025, the Human Trafficking Unit is partnered with the agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit to leverage already-established local, state and federal partnerships and investigative resources through the Colorado Cyber Guardian Task Force. The investigations are active and ongoing. Anyone with any information about the above suspects or other victims not yet known to law enforcement is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) September 30, 2026
Here are some key points:
In its first 12 months of operations, the Human Trafficking Unit launched 53 investigations, arrested 28 suspects and recovered 29 survivors of human trafficking activity, 15 of which were minors. The Human Trafficking Unit has recently grown to three detectives with a supervising sergeant.
It's rather horrifying that there's a need for such a unit. But clearly there is, and unlike the many and varied problems Aurora has faced from illegal alien gang activity over the last few years, the people involved in these human-trafficking operations appear to be home-grown criminals, although it would not be surprising to see the illegal alien gangs involved in this as well.
Among the 28 suspects arrested is Marshae Wheelock, 24, of Aurora, who is tied to numerous human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases over several years involving multiple child victims. Wheelock currently has three active court cases in Arapahoe and Adams district courts.
In Arapahoe District Court, Wheelock is charged with trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pimping a child, pimping, pandering prostitution and engaging in human trafficking for sexual servitude. Wheelock recently accepted a plea deal with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and is scheduled to appear Nov. 6 in court for sentencing where he faces eight to 16 years in prison.
On Thursday, a Fox News report brought out more information warning parents about what to look for in these cases.
For parents, (APD Sgt. Joseph) Sullivan’s advice begins with staying involved and asking questions about what their children are doing online.
Warning signs can include unexplained cash, new clothes or paid-for manicures, as well as disappearing for a weekend and returning with things they did not have before. He encouraged families to use educational resources from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Full disclosure: My wife and I raised our family in Aurora. We lived there for 30 years, before our long-planned move to the Great Land. Aurora, in my memory, didn't used to have these problems. Granted, every city has its issues, but Aurora seems to be, like so many of our major urban areas, growing new problems. We've seen too many stories out of what used to be a relatively peaceful suburb of the city they once called the Queen of the Plains; problems with gangs taking over apartment buildings, with homelessness, with street crimes, and now with human trafficking. It's a sad situation, and it's one that is being repeated, all too often, in urban and now suburban areas across the fruited plain.
In Aurora, at least, the local police are working the problem as seems appropriate: A special unit, dealing directly with an increasingly dire situation. Now, the question is, what will happen when they get to the prosecutors?