Former residents and employees are questioning Reflection Ministries’ practices after its top two executives were charged in a child-custody case.
MIDLAND, Texas — A nonprofit long known for serving trafficking survivors is facing growing scrutiny after its founder and chief operating officer were arrested on kidnapping charges involving the baby of a woman who lived in the organization’s residential program.
Lisa Bownds, founder and chief executive officer of Reflection Ministries, and Elizabeth Walker, its chief operating officer, were charged with third-degree felony kidnapping in early June. The allegations center on efforts to obtain and maintain custody of a resident’s infant daughter. Both women are presumed innocent unless convicted, and the records reviewed for this article did not show that a court had ruled on the criminal allegations.
Reflection Ministries was founded in 2016 and developed a strong public reputation in Midland and across the Permian Basin. The organization said its mission was to provide housing, recovery services and other support to adults who had experienced trafficking or sexual exploitation. Its residential program, known as The Village, offered a secluded setting for women described as needing long-term care.
The criminal case began with the experience of a pregnant resident who later returned to Dallas. According to an arrest affidavit, the woman signed a document allowing Bownds to serve as guardian of her child during a medical emergency. Investigators said the agreement did not end the woman’s parental rights, but Bownds later sought permanent guardianship.
The mother told investigators that Bownds and Walker pressured her to place the child for adoption and warned that her probation could be violated if she left the program. She was arrested while attempting to leave, according to the affidavit. A judge later released her, denied Bownds’ guardianship request and ordered the baby returned after the mother and child had been separated for nearly five months.
Investigators alleged that Bownds continued trying to regain custody after the mother returned to Dallas. The affidavit said Bownds contacted a national anti-trafficking organization and accused the mother of planning to sell or harm the baby. Investigators said no supporting evidence was presented for those claims. Bownds was also reportedly staying near the mother’s Dallas residence while people associated with the organization searched for the child.
The arrests opened the door to broader allegations from former Reflection Ministries residents and employees. Several told First Alert 7 and NewsWest 9 that the program’s public image did not match their experiences inside The Village. They described strict controls on communication, isolation from relatives and warnings that residents could face jail or other consequences if they did not follow instructions.
One former resident said she had not been ordered by a court to remain at the facility but felt unable to leave because of threats about possible criminal charges. She also alleged that she was prevented from contacting her mother, investigators and federal authorities connected to her trafficking case. Those claims have not been tested in court, and the available reports did not include a detailed public response from Reflection Ministries addressing each allegation.
Former workers also questioned how much control staff exercised over residents’ documents, property and outside relationships. One woman said investigators were helping her recover personal records and belongings from the organization. Others described punishments, required chores and restrictions on privileges that they said created a prison-like environment.
The accounts raise oversight questions because residential programs serving trafficking survivors often work with people who have limited housing, money and transportation. Some residents may also be involved in criminal cases, probation systems or child-welfare proceedings. That can leave them dependent on staff members for communication with relatives, lawyers and government agencies.
Reflection Ministries had previously received public attention for its anti-trafficking work, including educational events and partnerships with community leaders. Bownds spoke publicly about surviving trafficking and described that experience as a reason for starting the organization. The nonprofit’s standing in the community made the arrests especially notable and prompted former participants to question whether warning signs had been overlooked.
The kidnapping charges do not by themselves prove the wider claims made by former residents and employees. They do, however, place the organization’s leadership, guardianship practices and supervision of vulnerable residents under public examination. The reports reviewed for this article did not indicate whether a government agency had completed a broader review of The Village or announced what would happen to its programs.
Bownds and Walker remained defendants in the criminal case as of the latest reports consulted. No trial date or final resolution was publicly confirmed in those reports. Questions also remain about Reflection Ministries’ current leadership, the status of residents and whether additional witnesses or former employees will become part of the investigation.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.