Police have reportedly charged a former employee of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services with child trafficking along with a family.
Officials charged Hannah Nicole Sample in December 2025 following a police investigation, ABC 13 reported, citing records. Huntsville police learned that Sample allegedly helped a missing boy get out of Child Protective Services (CPS) custody and let him live with her. Sample is also accused of having “engaged in sexual activity” with the boy.
Huntsville police said CPS reached out to them regarding the missing minor, and court records said the minor was a boy. The boy was allegedly with Sample instead of state custody. After CPS alerted law enforcement, police allegedly found him and Sample at an apartment complex. Sample allegedly surrendered after cops secured a warrant to arrest her. (RELATED: Surgeon Allegedly Denies Patients Life-Saving Care Through Horrific Manipulation)
Police have not revealed how Sample allegedly helped the boy away from CPS or how they located them, ABC 13 reported.
Sample worked for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services up to July 2023, the agency said. The alleged incident happened at the time. Court records indicate Sample has been assigned a pre-trial date of Feb. 17 while the investigation remains active.
This is not the first time a child in protective care has allegedly experienced harm.
An 11-year-old residing at a hotel due to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’ Child Without Placement (CWOP) program was allegedly kidnapped and almost trafficked by a 42-year-old man on Feb. 14, 2025, according to Texas Public Radio.
Watchdogs issued a report in October 2023 in connection with an ongoing lawsuit against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Tribune previously reported. The report alleged that multiple troubling incidents had been impacting foster children and caseworkers, including children being exposed to sexual predators.
The Daily Caller contacted the Huntsville Police Department and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, neither of whom immediately commented.