The mom of a biracial child recently detailed a harrowing incident that they encountered after flying with Southwest Airlines.
According to reports, Mary McCarthy and her 10-year-old daughter, Moira, booked a flight via Southwest Airlines from Los Angeles to Denver to visit the child's uncle, who suddenly passed away.
When they got to the plane, the flight attendant told McCarthy that she and her daughter could not sit together. Instead, they were asked to stay in the middle aisle seat.
Little did McCarthy know that the flight attendants on board the plane were observing her and her 10-year-old child.
Mary McCarthy, daughter interview with armed police officers
When they arrived in Denver, two armed police officers who asked to interview them separately welcomed the mother and daughter. Moira reportedly broke down in tears due to trauma since she was also dealing with the sudden death of her uncle.
McCarthy decided to record the three-minute interrogation, and in the clip, she can hear her 10-year-old daughter crying. An employee can also be heard telling McCarthy that they needed to ask her questions as part of the company's policy due to their concerns regarding her behavior.
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Concern about mom asking to be seated beside daughter
According to People, the flight attendant's concerns had to do with McCarthy and Moira boarding the plane last, as well as the mom asking other passengers if she could exchange seats with them.
However, McCarthy explained that she wanted to sit beside her daughter because she's a minor and was mourning the death of her uncle. McCarthy's brother died from a blood clot, and he reportedly served as a father figure to the 10-year-old.
The police did not immediately tell McCarthy that she was being accused of child trafficking following the interview. Instead, they informed her that they needed to conduct a brief investigation due to her suspicious behavior on the plane.
Shortly after, McCarthy and Moira were cleared. Two weeks later, the enraged mom found out that they conducted the interview because she was suspected of human trafficking.
Southwest Airlines passenger wants compensation, apology
Following the incident, McCarthy wrote a letter to Southwest Airlines urging them to give her a public apology, a refund on the full price of their tickets, plus additional compensation for the trouble they caused her and her daughter.
As of press writing, Southwest Airlines has not apologized to McCarthy. But in their statement, they said that they are reviewing the incident.
"We are conducting a review of the situation internally, and we will be reaching out to the customer to address her concerns and offer our apologies for her experience traveling with us. Our employees undergo robust training on human trafficking. Above all, Southwest Airlines prides itself on providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for the millions of customers who travel with us each year," Southwest Airlines spokesperson Dan Landson told CNN.
However, McCarthy's attorney believes that if his client's daughter weren't biracial, she wouldn't have been suspected of human trafficking, according to ABC 7.
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