Man force-fed 14-year-old Adderall and made him prepare hundreds of items of clothing to be sold online, then abandoned him on the side of the freeway, police say – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pixabay)
Los Angeles County – A 26-year-old man remains in custody on charges that he isolated a middle school student, forced him to catalog hundreds of used clothing items for online resale, and then abandoned the boy on a freeway after the plan to move him out of state collapsed. The case centers on events that unfolded over three days in early May 2025 at a motel and other locations across Los Angeles County. Prosecutors say the defendant, Brandon Holguin, had targeted the 14-year-old months earlier at a thrift store before luring him into the scheme.
Alleged Sequence of Events
According to court documents, Holguin took the teenager to a motel on May 2, 2025, and immediately put him to work sorting and photographing used clothing for resale. The task stretched late into the night, prompting the defendant to instruct the boy to ingest Adderall so he could continue working, prosecutors said. The medication made the victim ill.
Holguin kept the boy’s cellphone throughout the ordeal, preventing contact with his family. He later sold the device and used a fake identification to pawn the teenager’s jewelry, pocketing the proceeds, authorities alleged. When an attempt to transport the minor hundreds of miles north to Northern California fell through, Holguin left him alone on a Los Angeles freeway in the middle of the night on May 5, 2025.
The teenager managed to reach a nearby business, where staff called 911. Los Angeles police reunited him with his family the same day.
Charges and Prosecutorial Perspective
Holguin faces six felony counts: child stealing, human trafficking, child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death, furnishing a minor a controlled substance, employing a minor during unauthorized hours, and false personation for a written instrument. He was arrested on May 9, 2025, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman described the case as an example of how traffickers exploit vulnerable children. “Human labor traffickers frequently target vulnerable children, gaining their trust before isolating them and profiting from the child’s forced labor,” Hochman said. “For three terrifying days, the victim’s parents and law enforcement desperately searched for this missing teen, fearing the worst had happened.”
Current Status and Detention
Holguin is being held at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic on a $652,000 bond. Additional charges were filed through a criminal information, and he was arraigned on those counts earlier this week, again entering a not-guilty plea.
The case remains pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court. No trial date has been set.
Why the Case Stands Out
Prosecutors have emphasized the deliberate steps taken to isolate the teenager and the financial motive behind the forced labor. The combination of drugging, extended work hours, and eventual abandonment on a major roadway distinguishes the allegations from more common runaway or family-dispute cases, according to the district attorney’s office.
Investigators continue to review evidence collected from the motel and other locations tied to the three-day period. The outcome of the prosecution will hinge on whether the state can prove the elements of trafficking and the other serious felonies now before the court.
