Columbia Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking Daughter

A 49-year-old Columbia woman has pleaded not guilty to the sex trafficking of her mentally disabled daughter.

Renee Collins entered the plea Tuesday to sex trafficking of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.

The Columbia Missourian reports Collins and her boyfriend were accused of trafficking her daughter from a room in The Welcome Inn in Columbia in exchange for drugs and money.

Her boyfriend, William Thomas Jr., of Rocheport, is charged with first-degree rape or attempted rape. He has pleaded not guilty.

Collins’ daughter has cerebral palsy and functions at the level of a 2 or 3-year-old.

The FBI notified Columbia police in July 2017 that it had received a tip that the child was being left in a motel room with strange men.