Flight attendant noticed young girl travelling with older man and reported it to pilot

Flight attendant of 10 years Sheila Frederick refused to ignore the gut feeling she got upon observing a young "disheveled" girl who accompanied a "well-dressed" older man on a flight.

Frederick was interviewed by 10 News early of last year as seen in their YouTube video. You can watch it below. She described the incident that rattled her as she walked down the aisle of the Alaska Airlines plane.

A man was dressed presentably while sitting next to an unkempt girl who looked only 14 or 15 years of age.

Frederick expressed to 10 News that due to the pair's quite dissimilar appearance:

"Something in the back of my mind said something is not right."

Frederick attempted to communicate to the girl but the man did not allow them to speak. In another interview with Good Morning Britain, she further describes how it was difficult to make eye contact with the girl. Still, she says that something told her:

"Don't let it go, don't let it go."

She devised a plan to reach out.

A co-worker of Frederick teamed up with her to distract the man for a while, finally allowing Frederick to make eye contact with the girl. Frederick indicates that the distraught look in the young girl's eyes confirmed her fears that something must be wrong.

She went to the bathroom and cried for a few moments. Then she had an idea. She wrote a note and put it in the lavatory. To avoid anyone else entering the bathroom, Frederick locked it. She went back out and again was assisted by co-workers as she mumbled to the poor girl:

"Bathroom."

Frederick said she also:

"Made a pencil sign with [her] finger."

She hoped that the young girl discerned what she was trying to indicate to her. Frederick barely noticed a small nod from the girl's head.

After beverage servicing finished, the man and girl got up and went to use the bathroom. Frederick offered up the lavatory in which she had left the note. When the girl left the restroom and the two went back to their sits, Frederick ran into the bathroom and looked at the note.

Source YouTube

It read:

"I need help."

Frederick took quick action to alert the captain who requested that authorities meet the plane as soon as it landed. When this happened, the police went straight to the seats of the man and the girl. The poor child was indeed a victim of trafficking. She can now thank Frederick for saving her from a disastrous end.

Commenters under the Facebook post were also in awe and relief at the result of the occurrence.

Sharon Hoeft Spirk Schwabauer said:

"Thank you for stepping up and saving the young girl."

While Marveen Dennis expressed kudos:

"Good for her and her gut instinct, she saved that girl."