A man has been arrested on human trafficking charges after authorities said he took a woman across Florida and Mississippi, coercing her to engage in sexual acts for money and using her own child as a way to keep her captive.
Kevin Tilcock, 40, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service in Virginia on Monday, Dec. 22, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office. His arrest follows a 16-month investigation involving the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and state prosecutors.
According to officials, Tilcock was initially arrested by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in August 2024 on prostitution-related charges. However, further investigation revealed Tilcock was potentially involved in human trafficking, detectives said.
Authorities said they learned Tilcock had manipulated a woman he knew into traveling with him and engaging in sexual acts for money. Investigators said Tilcock used the woman’s young son as a way to control her, at times threatening that he would not allow her to see her child. He also supplied the victim with drugs to keep her compliant, according to officials.
Tilcock was charged with human trafficking for commercial sexual activity, deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, and unlawful use of a two-way device, the Attorney General’s Office said. He is expected to be extradited back to Florida soon.
“Drugging a woman and using her young child as a way to keep her captive is a disgusting level of abuse,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “This arrest was only possible because our Statewide Prosecutors and law enforcement partners were not content with having this trafficker on the streets. They followed the evidence to bring serious charges that will keep him locked up for a long time.”