U.S. Marshals Rescue 39 Missing Children

We can all agree that hurting kids is among the lowest acts a human can commit. Unfortunately, hundreds of children still go missing every year from the United States alone. Thus, our law enforcement agencies are always searching for them. Last week, U.S. Marshals conducted a mission that resulted in dozens of minors being located, and rescued.The Marshals made the following statement:

"Operation Not Forgotten" resulted in the rescue of 26 children, the safe location of 13 children and the arrest of nine criminal associates. Additionally, investigators cleared 26 arrest warrants and filed additional charges for alleged crimes related to sex trafficking, parental kidnapping, registered sex offender violations, drugs and weapons possession, and custodial interference. The 26 warrants cleared included 19 arrest warrants for a total of nine individuals arrested, some of whom had multiple warrants.

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Marshals assembled a huge team

The mission was conducted in cooperation with the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. As well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Georgia law enforcement agencies. This was a huge endevore, spawning multiple departments, both city, state, and federal. Additionally, they announced the operation took over two weeks in Atlanta and Macon, Georgia.Donald Washington, the Director of the Marshals Service, also made several remarks. Washington said, “The message to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you.”The U.S. Marshals went on to say, "These missing children were considered to be some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area, based on indications of high-risk factors such as victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions. Other children were located at the request of law enforcement to ensure their wellbeing. USMS investigators were able to confirm each child’s location in person and assure their safety and welfare."Tracking down fugitives is the primary role of the Marshals. However, since they partnered with NCMEC in 2005, the joint agencies have recovered over 1,800 missing children. To make an anonymous tip to the Marshals, please click here. To contact NCMEC, dial 1-800-843-5678.