Additional Coverage:
Pieper Lewis, Sex Trafficking Survivor, Missing After Fleeing Probation for Second Time
Authorities are seeking 20-year-old Pieper Lewis, a woman with a documented history of sex trafficking, who has reportedly gone missing after absconding from probation for the second time. Contact with Lewis was lost after April 6, 2024, while she was residing in Georgia.
Lewis’s case gained national attention due to her involvement in the fatal stabbing of a man who had sexually exploited her. At 15, Lewis, who had previously run away from an abusive home in 2020, was trafficked by a 28-year-old man. She later identified Zachary Brooks, 37, as a man who repeatedly raped her, including while she was unconscious.
In a plea agreement, Lewis admitted to fatally stabbing Brooks on May 31, 2020, following another instance of sexual assault. She was initially charged with first-degree murder but later pleaded guilty in adult court to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury, offenses that could have carried a 20-year prison sentence.
Her testimony, describing her experiences as a victim of human trafficking, led to her case being recognized by a top state law enforcement official as a “perfect example” of the crime. In September 2022, while still a minor, Lewis received a deferred judgment from Judge David Porter and was placed in a women’s transitional facility. She was also mandated to pay $150,000 in restitution to Brooks’ estate.
Lewis’s adjustment to probation proved challenging. In November 2021, she removed her court-mandated ankle monitor and left the transitional facility, citing safety concerns.
Following her arrest, her deferred conviction was revoked in May 2023. However, she was given a second chance and placed in a treatment center for young offenders, the House of Cherith in Atlanta, in November 2023, which specializes in treating sexually exploited women.
A probation violation report filed in May 2024 detailed increasingly erratic behavior from Lewis at the House of Cherith. Infractions included unauthorized phone use, taking illicit photos, and receiving unapproved calls. In March 2024, Lewis reportedly left a medical appointment and spent an extended period with a man, later admitting to intimate relations.
She was subsequently dismissed from the House of Cherith on March 21, 2024, and reported to the Fulton County, Georgia, probation office the following day, stating she was homeless. Lewis was fitted with a GPS monitoring device and instructed to report weekly until she secured stable housing. However, she failed to attend appointments or charge the device, and her probation officer lost contact with her after April 6, 2024.
A nationwide warrant has been issued for Lewis’s arrest, though it remains sealed. Des Moines police are not involved in any search efforts, as monitoring probation is not within their jurisdiction. If apprehended or if she surrenders, Lewis faces a prison sentence for her previous convictions of manslaughter and willful injury, in addition to penalties for violating her probation.