US marshals find astonishing 225 missing children in ten-week hunting operation

The United States Marshals were able to locate or recover an astonishing 225 missing children as part of a ten-week human hunt in 16 federal judicial districts dubbed Operation We Will Find You.

The marshals are working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children across the country as part of the operation targeting areas with “high clusters” of missing children.

Between March 1 and May 15, 169 missing children were found and another 56 found safe in 16 regions selected to participate, according to the Marshals Service.

At least 28 of the cases involving these children have been recommended to other law enforcement agencies to investigate associated crimes, including sexual offenses and drug, arms and sex trafficking.

Of the cases closed during Operation We Will Find You, 86 percent were threatened runaways and 9 percent were family kidnappings.

About 62 percent of the missing children recovered were found within a week of being reported missing to the US Marshals.

“The US Marshals Service is fully committed to the important mission of protecting the American people, especially our most vulnerable population—our children,” said Ronald Davis, director of the Marshals Service.

The service highlighted a number of specific areas where dozens of children were recovered or safely located.

One of the highest profile arrests was a couple on the Top 15 Most Wanted list who had fled to Mexico from Washington state, hiding their five children with them.

Those five children were among 10 found outside the United States in Mexico during the operation.

Northern Ohio saw at least 35 children recovered, with another 30 discovered in West Texas.

In eastern Virginia, one of 14 missing children recovered was a 15-year-old girl found in the bedroom of a 30-year-old man who had been arrested on an outstanding probation order from a local county.

In Louisiana, 14 children were recovered and a male teen runaway surrendered and was booked on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant from the New Orleans Police Department in connection with sex with a 12-year-old female relative. Another eight people were arrested in the region.

The marshals are working with the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children across the country as part of the operation targeting areas with “high clusters” of missing children

Between March 1 and May 15, 169 missing children were found and another 56 found safe in 16 regions selected to participate, according to the Marshals Service.

At least 28 of the cases involving these children have been recommended to other law enforcement agencies to investigate associated crimes, including sexual offenses and drug, arms and sex trafficking

“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 Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis (pictured)

In Central California, 13 children were recovered, including at least four who had been missing for months and were under investigation as human trafficking cases.

The other regions selected were Washington DC; Maryland; Massachusetts; South Carolina; San Antonio; Detroit; Yakima, Washington; Orlando, Florida; Guam; Puerto Rico; and the US Virgin Islands.

“The results of this operation underline that commitment, but also highlight the need for these critical efforts,” added Davis.

Davis said the Marshals and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have recovered more than 3,100 missing children since the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was passed in 2015.