28 May 2023 , 08:59
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In a ten-week operation spanning 16 federal judicial districts, the United States Marshals successfully located or recovered a staggering 225 missing children.
This nationwide operation, called 'Operation We Will Find You'., focused on areas with "high clusters" of missing children, resulting in the recovery of 169 missing children and the safe location of another 56 between March 1 and May 15.
Remarkably, at least 28 of these cases have been referred to other law enforcement agencies for further investigation into attached crimes such as sex offenses, drug-related offenses, weapons offenses, and sex trafficking.
The cases closed primarily involved 86 percent 'endangered runaways' and nine percent family abductions.
A success story included the apprehension of a couple on the Top 15 Most Wanted list who had fled to Mexico from Washington State, taking their five children into hiding with them. These five children were among the 10 recovered outside the United States during the operation.
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The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of Justice (US Marshalls)Notably, approximately 62 percent of the missing children were found within a week of being reported missing to the US Marshals.
Ronald Davis, Director of the Marshals Service, expressed the agency's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable population – children.
He stated: "The U.S. Marshals Service is fully committed to the important mission of protecting the American people, especially our most vulnerable population – our children."
Northern Ohio saw the recovery of at least 35 children, while West Texas accounted for another 30 children located.
Notable successes included apprehending a wanted couple in Mexico and recovering 10 children abroad (US Marshalls)In Eastern Virginia, authorities rescued 14 missing children, including a 15-year-old girl found in the bedroom of a 30-year-old man who was arrested on an outstanding probation warrant.
Louisiana witnessed the recovery of 14 children, and in Central California, 13 children, some of whom had been missing for months, were rescued and investigated as potential victims of human trafficking.
The Marshals Service say they are committed to protecting children, having recovered over 3,100 missing kids since 2015. (US Marshalls)The operation extended its reach to regions across the country, including Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, South Carolina, San Antonio, Detroit, Yakima in Washington, Orlando in Florida, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Director Davis emphasized that the Marshals Service, in collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has successfully recovered over 3,100 missing children since the passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act in 2015.