The United States Marshals Service (USMS) and state and local agencies worked together for 10 weeks to find 225 lost children in states all over the country.
The operation, which took place in several states and was called “We Will Find You,” was a national attempt to find the missing children. A news release from the USMS says that many of the children ran away or were taken by people who didn’t care for them.
During the operation, officials found and brought back 169 children, and 56 were found alive.
“The U.S. Marshals Service is fully committed to the important mission of protecting the American people, especially our most vulnerable population – our children,” said Ronald Davis, who is in charge of the Marshals Service. “The results of this action show that commitment, but they also show how important these efforts are.”
The data shows that 86% of the children were runaways who were in danger, 9% were taken by family members, and 5% were otherwise lost.
6 Months Old Was also Found
The youngest child who was found was just 6 months old.
Forty-two children who went missing in one city were found outside of that city. Ten of those children were found in Mexico. Officials said that 13 of the lost children were found in California between March 1 and May 15, 2023. They were found in Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County.
The tweet below explains “Who was hiding them? How? Where? Why? US Marshals locate 225 missing children in a nationwide operation”
Who was hiding them? How? Where? Why?
US Marshals locate 225 missing children in nationwide operation https://t.co/h9gC0uyteR
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) May 27, 2023
The US Marshals also caught a couple who were on the list of the “Top 15 Most Wanted.” They had fled from Washington state to Mexico with their five children, who they also hid.
US Marshals say that “Operation We Will Find You” is the first nationwide search for missing children that focuses on places where there are a lot of seriously missing children.
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The service said that the children were “considered some of the most difficult recovery cases in the area, based on signs of high-risk factors like being victims of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions.”
A statement from the US Marshals says that they gave 28 cases to law enforcement to look into further. These cases involved crimes like drugs, guns, sex trafficking, and sex offender violations. In more than 40 of the cases, police were told that people were being trafficked.
“Operation We Will Find You” is a great example of how the U.S. Marshals Service continues to put the safety of children first, said Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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