Two Texas women — Herbinique Forest and Esmeralda Peña — are facing aggravated kidnapping charges after authorities say they abducted, assaulted, and forced a man into sex work at gunpoint.
A third suspect, Nickson Simmons, is also charged in the case, which investigators describe as one of the more disturbing abduction incidents Harris County has seen this year.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the victim — who asked to remain anonymous — said the nightmare began on Oct. 18 when Peña, a woman he considered a friend, offered him what sounded like an easy way to make money.
She took him to a Regency Inn motel, where he met “Cookie,” later identified as Herbinique Forest.
That’s when, he says, everything changed.
“She Told Me If I Ever Left, She’d Blow My Brains Out”
The victim told investigators that Forest created an escort profile for him online and demanded that he perform sex acts for money. When he refused, court records show, she beat him and threatened to kill him.
“I did not know what to do,” the man said. “It was really ghetto. It was scary.”
He said he managed to escape the next day and make it home, but doorbell footage later showed Peña and Forest returning to his apartment, this time with Simmons, who was armed.
“They came to my door, and Cookie started beating me,” he recalled. “She was like, ‘Do not ever leave again.’ She told me if I ever left, she’d blow my brains out.”
The trio allegedly forced him into a car at gunpoint, beginning a six-day ordeal in which the man says he was drugged, beaten, and made to solicit men for sex in a Ross parking lot.
A Hidden Phone and a Daring Escape
The victim’s escape came thanks to quick thinking — and a hidden phone. While his captors weren’t watching, he texted his aunt for help. She picked him up on Oct. 24, and the suspects were soon arrested.
Forest, Peña, and Simmons are all now behind bars in the Harris County Jail, charged with aggravated kidnapping as the investigation continues.
“I’m just glad I made it out,” the victim said. “I really thought I was gonna die there.”
The Case Sparks Broader Conversation
Online, the case has ignited emotional reactions, particularly around the protection of young Black men in situations of abuse and exploitation.
“Protect Black boys,” one commenter wrote. Another said, “Not every male is that typical masculine man. I feel sorry for that guy and hope all the trauma he endured doesn’t stick around in the future.”
Victims’ advocates say the case underscores how male trafficking victims often go unseen, both in media coverage and law enforcement response.
“This case forces people to rethink stereotypes about trafficking,” said one Houston-based victims’ advocate. “Men can be victims too — and their stories deserve to be believed and supported.”
As the case moves through the courts, the victim is recovering with family support and trauma counseling.
“He’s amazing,” one supporter wrote. “His quick thinking helped save his life.”
