On June 3, authorities identified “Chelsea Jane Doe,” the murder victim found in the parking lot at Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea, Boston, as Tiffany Bradley, a missing 16-year-old girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Recent advancements in technology allowed the FBI to use investigative genetic genealogy to identify Chelsea Jane Doe through a familial connection. After 26 years of waiting, the Bradley family was finally able to bring their daughter home.
Tiffany’s family reported her missing on November 8, 2000. Tiffany’s last words were on a phone call to her cousin, who she told in a trembling voice, “I’ll call you later. I have to go.” Around this time, investigators received tips that Tiffany was being trafficked in the Boston area. On November 13, 2000, police discovered an unidentifiable, dismembered female body.
In March of 2004, Eugene McCollom confessed that he had “strangled [a] prostitute” named “Lisa” following a dispute over money. McCollom told police that he dismembered her body in his room at a YMCA in Lynn, Massachusetts and buried her hands and head at Nahant Beach. McCollom was charged with her murder in August of 2001 and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains today. Until recently, however, authorities were unable to uncover the true identity of Chelsea Jane Doe.
The news coverage of this case demonstrates the progress that has been made in the media’s use of language to describe children who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Articles published in 2004 referred to the victim in this case as a “prostitute.” Using the term “prostitute” is harmful because it implies an inherent choice in selling sex, placing the responsibility entirely on the person in prostitution while erasing the role of buyers and traffickers. Describing a child as a “prostitute,” as in this case, is particularly damaging because minors can cannot legally consent to commercial sex and thus bear no responsibility for their own victimization. A 2018 article providing updates on this case removed all mention of prostitution, instead referring to Tiffany Bradley as a “child sex trafficking victim.” This is the appropriate term because all minors who are bought and sold for sex are victims of child rape and should be treated as such.
While the media has made great strides in its portrayal of people in prostitution, there is still work to be done. A 2023 study conducted by CSE Institute externs and published in the Villanova Law Review, titled “The Language of Exploitation,” examined 468 news articles and found a systemic failure in how the media portrays commercial sexual exploitation. The study found that 36% of articles used derogatory terms such as “prostitute” or “hooker” to describe people in prostitution. Additionally, in 82% of cases, the media minimized the violence perpetrated against people in prostitution, revictimizing survivors by deeming their experience unremarkable. The language used to describe victims of commercial sexual exploitation affects public perception and ultimately shapes public policy. Thus, the media must exercise great care in its portrayal of these individuals, particularly when reporting on acts of violence carried out against them.
The CSE Institute stands behind the Bradley family in their grief and gratitude as they finally lay Tiffany to rest. We also praise the tireless efforts of those who never allowed Tiffany to remain a nameless victim of gender-based violence and commercial sexual exploitation. In honoring Tiffany’s life and legacy, she should be remembered not for what happened to her, but as a loving girl, passionate athlete, and budding artist.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.