The United States Security Service (USSMS), with the help of state and local agencies, has found 225 missing children in a 10-week operation across states, the agency said.
Dubbed Operation We’ll Find You, this multi-state operation was a national effort to find missing children.according to press release Many children from the USSMS have escaped or been abducted by non-custodial persons.
During the operation, authorities recovered 169 children and found 56 safely.
A U.S. Marshal conversing with a person inside a vehicle during Operation We Will Find You. (U.S. Sheriff’s Department)
“The U.S. Marshals Service is committed to the important mission of protecting the American people, especially the most vulnerable – our children,” said Sheriff’s Office Director Ronald Davis. “The results of this operation underscore that effort and highlight the need for these critical efforts.
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According to published data, 86% of children are believed to be at risk of running away from home, 9% are believed to be abducted by family members, and 5% are missing for other reasons.
A US Marshal talks to children in a car. The agency said it had safely rescued 225 missing children. (U.S. Sheriff’s Department)
A U.S. Marshal speaks on a mobile phone while participating in Operation We Will Find You, a national effort to find missing children across the United States. (U.S. Sheriff’s Department)
The youngest child to recover was just six months old.
42 children were found outside the city where they went missing, 10 of them in Mexico. Thirteen of the missing children were in California. Officials say it will take place from March 1 to May 15, 2023, in the areas of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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Marshals also arrested a couple in the “Top 15 Most Wanted” who fled Washington to Mexico with their five children and hid the children.
U.S. Marshals converse with a woman participating in Operation We Will Find You, a search for severely missing children. (U.S. Sheriff’s Department)
Operation We’ll Find You is the first nationwide missing children operation to focus on a geographic area with a high concentration of serious missing children, according to U.S. sheriffs.
The agency said children were “the most difficult to recover in the region based on signs of high-risk factors such as child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, medical or mental health. It is considered part of a serious case,” he shared. conditions. “
Marshals have handed over 28 cases to law enforcement for further investigation into crimes including drug, weapons, sex trafficking and sex offender violations, according to a statement from the Marshals. Law enforcement agencies reported suspected trafficking in more than 40 of these cases.
“Operation We Will Find You is a great example of how the U.S. Security Service continues to prioritize child protection.”
Michelle DeLone, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said, “Operation We’ll Find You is a great example of how the U.S. Security Service continues to prioritize child protection. It is.”
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If you have information about a missing or endangered child, please contact your local police department and/or the National Center for the Exploitation of Missing Children at 1-800-The-Lost.
