“Working with Finding Kids changed my life.”
“Maya”
Finding Kids’ First Decoy When “Maya” joined Finding Kids’ Predator Targeting Program at 19, she stepped into a role that demanded patience, discipline, judgment, and courage. Maya became the program’s first decoy and helped prove that the model could successfully identify predators and support law-enforcement investigations which led to 27 arrests of adults actively seeking to exploit children. Growing up in Fresno, Maya witnessed domestic violence inside her home. Those experiences shaped her desire to protect children and work with victims and families facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Her path toward law enforcement began in high school when she joined a local Explorer Program. Maya quickly emerged as a leader, eventually becoming a squad leader and class sergeant. She earned awards for community service, physical fitness, and her performance in training exercises. After graduating from high school, Maya enrolled in college and began working as an underage decoy for California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. She entered stores and approached adults suspected of furnishing alcohol to minors, helping investigators document violations and make arrests. Maya earned an award after generating the highest number of arrests among the program’s female decoys. Then, in November 2024, an opportunity arrived that would change the direction of her life. “Finding Kids contacted the Explorer Program I was in,” Maya recalls. “At the time, I was the class sergeant, so all the messages came through me. When I saw they were looking for a Hispanic woman, preferably Spanish-speaking, between 18 and 20, I thought, ‘I’m 19. Let’s do it.’ I put my name down immediately. I didn’t even notice at first that it was a paid position. I just wanted to do the undercover job. Maya was selected in December of 2024 and began specialized training in Los Angeles in January 2025. There, Finding Kids Director of Investigations Jeff Walker explained that she would become the organization’s first decoy. The assignment required Maya to create detailed fictional identities online, operate multiple social-media accounts, and communicate with predators seeking access to children. She studied criminal statutes, trafficking terminology, investigative procedures, and the language used by predators and traffickers. She also learned how to document every interaction so the evidence could support arrests and eventual prosecutions. Much of the world she encountered was completely unfamiliar to her. Maya had grown up intensely focused on school, leadership programs, and her future. The online behavior, explicit communications, and threats she encountered during the work required rapid growth and considerable composure. Through it all, Maya remained deeply committed to the assignment. Finding Kids and the Fresno Police Department surrounded her with experienced investigators who taught her how to recognize dangerous behavior, maintain a consistent undercover identity and communicate safely with suspects. “The detectives helped me stay on track and helped me become the person I wanted to be in law enforcement,” Maya recalls. Maya credits that combination of practical experience, patient instruction, and high expectations with helping her develop the confidence and professional skills she needed. She also became very good at her work. Veteran detectives were sometimes surprised when they heard Maya communicating through one of her undercover identities. The professional young woman they knew inside the office could convincingly become an entirely different person online while remaining focused on the investigative objective. Maya’s success also demonstrated that Finding Kids’ Predator Targeting program could produce real public-safety results. Her performance helped establish the operational foundation for future decoys, additional funding, and expansion into other jurisdictions. While working with Finding Kids, Maya continued pursuing her education and completed Modules III and II of a two-year reserve police academy program. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department subsequently hired her as a reserve deputy, which is where she now serves the public. At the time of her interview with Finding Kids, Maya was preparing for her first uniformed patrol shift, fully equipped and ready to begin the next stage of her career. Her immediate goal is to earn a full-time position with the Sheriff’s Department and complete the final portion of the police academy. Her long-term ambition is to become a detective. She hopes to begin in a domestic-violence unit, where her personal background could help victims and recognize the complicated circumstances surrounding abuse. She would eventually like to return to vice and human-trafficking investigations. “If I’m doing this career, it’s to make a change in the world,” Maya said. Maya entered the Predator Targeting Program as a determined college student with an interest in undercover work and, in her own words, a naïve understanding of the world she was about to enter. She emerged as an experienced investigator, a reserve deputy, and a young professional with a clear understanding of the law enforcement professional she intends to become. Maya gave Finding Kids’ Predator Targeting Program its first successful decoy operation. The program gave Maya the opportunity to see her future clearly. “I’ve always set a high standard for myself,” she said. “And I’m not going to lower it.”  “Maya” with Finding Kids CEO, Isabelle Finney
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“Maya” with Finding Kids CEO, Isabelle Finney