The U.S. Marshals Service announced late this week that it had rescued dozens of missing children in the state of Georgia following a two-week operation that led to multiple arrests.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Not Forgotten,” was led by the U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit and the agency’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force.
The operation “resulted in the rescue of 26 children, the safe location of 13 children and the arrest of nine criminal associates,” the agency said in a statement. “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.”
“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 well-being,” the agency added. “USMS investigators were able to confirm each child’s location in person and assure their safety and welfare.”
Last year, the agency “helped recover 295 missing children based on requests for assistance from law enforcement and has contributed to the recovery of a missing child in 75 percent of cases received. Additionally, of the missing children recovered, 66 percent were recovered within seven days of the USMS assisting with the case,” the agency said. “Since its partnership with NCMEC began in 2005, the agency has recovered more than 1,800 missing children.”
#ThisWeekAtJustice: #OperationLegend cut violent crime in Kansas City by a third; DAG Rosen spoke on foreign influence in U.S. elections; @USMarshalsHQ announced 39 missing children found during Operation Not Forgotten; and more pic.twitter.com/iWP4m224vF
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) August 28, 2020
In a statement, Director of the Marshals Service Donald Washington said: “The U.S. Marshals Service is fully committed to assisting federal, state, and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children, in addition to their primary fugitive apprehension mission. The message to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you.”
Darby Kirby, Chief of the Missing Child Unit, added: “When we track down fugitives, it’s a good feeling to know that we’re putting the bad guy behind bars. But that sense of accomplishment is nothing compared to finding a missing child. It’s hard to put into words what we feel when we rescue a missing child, but I can tell you that this operation has impacted every single one of us out here. We are working to protect them and get them the help they need.”
The U.S. Marshals Service has had a busy summer as they have been called on to help assist in law enforcement operations regarding the violent riots that have broken out in some cities across the U.S. in recent months. The agency was asked in June to assist in protecting national monuments from leftists who were tearing down and destroying statues across the country.