A woman from Moncton, N.B. is facing human trafficking charges related to incidents in Ottawa, police have announced.
Ottawa police say an investigation began in March involving one female victim. The alleged offences took place between September 2019 and February 2024.
Cynthia Caissie, 36, is facing a slew of charges, including trafficking in persons by exercising control, material benefit in trafficking, material benefit from sexual services, advertising another person’s sexual services, assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, withholding travel or identity documents, weapon possession, uttering threats and uttering a forged passport.
She first appeared in court on Wednesday and was remanded into custody.
Ottawa police investigators believe that could be other victims of human trafficking related to this investigation.
“Considering victims may not know the legal name of their offender, and the fact that Caissie is alleged to have used the alias of ‘Bailey’, the Ottawa Police is taking the extra step of publicly releasing a photo of the accused,” a news release said.
Anyone with information regarding incidents involving this individual is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service Human Trafficking Unit tip line at 613-236-1222 ext. 5625 or email mcm@ottawapolice.ca.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppers.ca.
Police also shared a list of resources for survivors of human trafficking.
“The Human Trafficking Unit will respect victims’ wishes whether to pursue criminal charges, and regardless, can offer resources to support survivors of human trafficking. The reporting of these incidents by victims to police is key for investigators to identify suspects and determine crime trends,” police said.