Is Anne Heche's 'Girl in Room 13' based on a true story? Lifetime movie sheds light on human trafficking
The whole entertainment industry was shocked when Anne Heche’s family announced that she was “brain dead” and they were trying to figure out what to do with her organs because she always wanted to be an organ donor. On the same day, Lifetime announced that Heche’s last movie as an actor, titled ‘Girl in Room 13’, will be released as per the plan and there won’t be any changes in the schedule.
Although fans are really excited to see their favorite star on the screen once again, a lot of them are really emotional that this will be the last time they’ll see Heche as an actor. Titled ‘Girl in Room 13’, the Lifetime movie primarily focuses on the issue of human trafficking. It chronicles the journey of a young woman named Grace (Larissa Dias), who got addicted to opioids after her doctor prescribed them for a sports injury at a very young age. However, her world turns upside down when she is taken captive by her ex-lover. Grace’s mother Janie (Anne Heche) leaves no stone unturned to find her daughter and try bringing her back.
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As soon as the movie was announced, rumors flew around that the movie was based on Jeffrey Epstein and whatever he did with underage girls. But is it really based on Epstein? Let’s take a look.
Is ‘Girl in Room 13’ based on a true story?
First things first, ‘Girl in Room 13’ is NOT based on Jeffrey Epstein. It isn’t even remotely connected to him. But yes, it is based on real incidents. As it is based on human trafficking, Lifetime indicates that it takes inspiration from several incidents that have been uncovered by the media. The network has confirmed that while it is inspired by true events, the Jeffrey Epstein case is not one of them.
According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), a total of 10,583 human trafficking cases were reported in 2020. Meanwhile, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 13,594 calls from the victims and survivors of human trafficking. California continues to be a hot spot for these atrocities and saw 1,334 reported cases. Meanwhile, Texas (987) and Florida (738) rounded off the Top 3. On the other hand, Neal Davis Law Firm from Houston reported that Washington, DC, Atlanta, GA, and Ohio, FL were the three cities where the most number of cases were reported in 2019.
When it comes to global numbers, 40.3 million people have been victims or survivors of human trafficking. Women and girls account for 71% of all human trafficking victims. According to the U.S. Department of State, more than 15,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year.
‘Girl in Room 13’ is a timely reminder about how grave the situation is and how we need to do something about it.
The movie will premiere exclusively on Lifetime on Saturday, September 17, at 8 pm EST.