A father and daughter suffered a case of mistaken identity after being caught up in a human trafficking investigation.
Jonathan Puddle and daughter Emmi visited a cafe in Guelph in Ontario, Canada, on February 18, where they got their caffeine fix - and triggered a manhunt.
Puddle told CTV News that nothing unusual happened at the coffee shop, recalling sitting down and chatting about 'nonsense.'
But, not long after their visit, an image of the pair from a security camera was shared online after concerned patrons suspected Emmi of being a victim of human trafficking.
Puddle said after leaving the coffee shop, a young couple knocked on their car window, asking if the two were related.
'I said, "Yeah, this is my daughter,"' the confused father said.
The man, Logan, said he was trying to get a good look at Emmi while they were in the cafe to see if she was in danger.
However, Emmi's response didn't ease Logan's concern.
'She didn't really help much because she just kind of clammed up and didn't really say anything to [Logan],' Puddle said.
'I had no idea what they were talking about. I didn't hear a single thing,' Emmi added.
Logan explained he was concerned by the conversation he heard between the father and daughter, saying it sounded as though they didn't know each other.
This led him to believe Emmi was potentially a victim of human trafficking.
And so, when speaking with the pair didn't alleviate his worries, he decided to go to the police.
'I decided to call it in just to be safe than sorry, because I know it's a serious issue,' Logan said.
According to Statistics Canada, Guelph had the highest reported rate of human trafficking per capita across Canada in 2024.
Scott Tracey, media relations coordinator with the Guelph Police Service, told CTV News that 'any municipality along the [Highway] 401 corridor is going to see an increased level of human trafficking just because of the proximity to the highway and to other major urban centers.'
Puddle told CTV News that nothing unusual happened at the coffee shop, recalling sitting down and chatting about 'nonsense'
In a post shared to Facebook, Puddle (pictured) said he met Logan later and praised the 'quality of some of today's young people'
Police praised Logan's decision to contact them when his intuition told him something seemed wrong.
'We did begin an investigation in an attempt to locate and identify those parties,' Tracey said.
In a post shared to Facebook, Puddle said he met Logan later and praised the 'quality of some of today's young people.'
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'I love this new generation,' he wrote in the post shared online on Thursday.
'They're advocacy-minded in a deeply integrous way,' he continued.
The father also said he spoke with the Guelph Police about what to do if you suspect someone of being in a situation that may involve human trafficking.
'I asked them to clarify for me what they would consider best practices if you notice something seems off,' he said.
'In general, they said that approaching a stranger wasn't something they'd recommend, but absolutely collecting information (photo, license plate, location, time, etc.) and contacting police as soon as possible.'
'All of that requires people to first just notice what's around them, and not be blind or ignorant to the realities of crime and exploitation in our own neighborhoods.'
He concluded the post: 'See something, say something.'