From Epstein Island to Carol Stream

Over the weekend, another long-awaited release of The Epstein Files drew significant attention to sexual exploitation and trafficking. The details shared are so egregious, it almost seems too complex, too deeply rooted, and too far away to be true. Yet, as far as we know, we are only beginning to understand the full scope of this tangled web of exploitation. 

Stories like these can make the darkness feel overwhelming—something distant, powerful, and untouchable. But exploitation isn’t limited to remote islands or powerful people whose lives seem nothing like our own. 

It happens in communities like ours. Just last month, a person of interest was taken into custody as part of a child sexual exploitation investigation in Carol Stream, Illinois. Although this story didn’t make national headlines, it reminds us that exploitation is not only a distant problem that feels far removed from everyday life. While national stories capture attention, survivors in our own community are quietly fighting to leave exploitation behind and begin a slow, courageous journey toward hope and healing. 

At Naomi’s House, we see the reality beyond the headlines. We meet women whose exploitation began in childhood. Women groomed by people they trusted. Women promised safety or love but instead manipulated, coerced, or controlled. Some were exploited by partners or family members. Others were targeted while trying to survive homelessness, addiction, or instability.

There is no “stereotypical” survivor. Exploitation does not discriminate.

But what we do see is a common pattern: exploitation thrives wherever power is abused and vulnerability is targeted. And that vulnerability can touch any community—from Epstein Island to Carol Stream.

Exploitation crosses every social and economic boundary...but so does hope. This work asks us to live in both realities at once: the pain and the hope, the grief and the promise. It requires us to face the darkness honestly, while trusting that light—carried patiently and faithfully—can permeate even the most depraved places. Scripture reminds us that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Because of your partnership, survivors in our community are given the chance to build lives defined not by exploitation, but by freedom and dignity. As headlines continue, may we not look away from the darkness, but instead remain committed to permeating the darkness. May we pray for the women and girls close to home who are still trapped in exploitation, and may we continue to be a community where healing can take root and hope can grow. 

With gratitude,

Blythe Struck

Executive Director