How a Finding Kids decoy helped Stanislaus County interrupt four online exploitation investigations. Posing as a 16 year old, Finding Kids’ Decoy had been on the job for just seven days when an investigation led to an arrest. Detectives with the Stanislaus County Human Exploitation and Trafficking Task Force began investigating “Princess Hasty” of Stockton after she contacted the our decoy’s social media account. According to detectives, Hasty believed she was communicating with a minor and arranged to transport the presumed child to the Bay Area for commercial sexual exploitation. She also allegedly attempted to recruit a second undercover decoy. On August 25, 2026, detectives arrested Hasty at the predetermined meeting location, arranged by our Decoy. Three additional investigations followed. Mario Angel Alvarado contacted our Decoy through Instagram after she identified herself as 16. Investigators say he solicited sexual activity, requested explicit images, sought contact with a second undercover profile presented as a 17-year-old, and later agreed to meet. Alvarado arrived at a designated Modesto location, fled, and was later located in Tracy with the help of cellular-location information before being arrested. Tyler Jawaune Thomas also contacted our Decoy and a second undercover profile and allegedly offered to recruit and direct both in commercial sexual encounters. Investigators say he described arranging meetings at casinos and hotels and collecting a fee for each woman. He arrived at a designated Turlock location and was taken into custody. Jesus Buenrostro contacted our Decoy after she represented herself as 16. Investigators say he agreed to pay $160 for a sexual encounter and arrived at a predetermined Turlock location, where he was arrested. Finding Kids’ role was pivotal at the earliest point in each investigation: the first contact. Our Decoy operated the undercover profile, represented her age, maintained the communication, and helped investigators determine whether the contact was moving toward recruitment, payment, or an in-person meeting. In the Hasty investigation, that capability produced an arrest within our Decoy’s first week. In Alvarado’s case, our Decoy’s communication helped establish the planned encounter that detectives followed to an arrest, even after he fled. In the Thomas and Buenrostro investigations, our Decoy helped expose alleged efforts to profit from or arrange sexual contact with a supposed minor. Stanislaus County detectives directed and coordinated the entire operation, ran a second undercover social media account when needed, selected meeting locations, used location data, made arrests, and conducted interviews. With their supervision, Finding Kids provided our trained Decoy and a reliable investigative capability that local agencies can use when adults reach out to someone they believe is a child online. The assistance that Finding Kids provides to law enforcement helps identify dangerous conduct, preserves evidence, and stops an online plan from becoming real-world exploitation. Finding Kids’ Predator Targeting Program exists to support that work. In Stanislaus County, one new decoy assignment contributed to four arrests in just weeks. The goal is to expand this capability to more agencies and give children greater protection before they become victims. All four defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. | 
