A six-week long operation which included the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) along with federal, state, and local agencies was conducted from May 20 to June 24. The case was deemed Operation We Will Find You 2 (OWWFY2) and it resulted in finding 200 missing children, which included endangered runaways and those abducted by noncustodial persons.
Children who go missing may be in serious danger and can be vulnerable to child sex trafficking, abuse, exploitation, and other crimes against children.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC( provided technical assistance in the operation, as they have a database of missing children dating back decades (which includes age-progressed images of some missing children), as well as expanding their mission to also include protecting children from exploitation. Here is a breakdown of the recovered 200 children from the operation:
173 were endangered runaways
123 were involved in dangerous situations
25 were considered otherwise missing
1 was a family abduction
1 was a non-family abduction
Of the missing children recovered, 57% were recovered within seven days of the USMS assisting the case.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, "There are no words to describe the terror felt by missing children, their families, and their communities. I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Nation Center for Missing and Exploited Children who worked to find 200 critically missing children during this six-week operation, and who work every day to keep children safe."
President and CEO of NCMEC Michelle DeLaune mentioned, "Operation We Will Find You is a shining example of the results we can achieve when we unite in our mission to find missing children." She added, "We are grateful that vulnerable children have been recovered as part of this operation, and we commend the U.S. Marshals Service and all the agencies involved for their commitment to protect youth and ensure these children are not forgotten. Behind every statistic, there is a child who deserves to grow up safe from harm."
The operation was conducted from the following locations: District of Arizona (Phoenix, Glendale, Goodyear, Tucson, South Tucson, and Pima counties); Eastern District of California (San Joaquin County, Stockton, and Sacramento County); Southern District of Florida (Broward, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties); Western District of Michigan (Kent, Lake, Ingham, and Ottawa counties); Eastern District of North Carolina (New Hanover, Brunswick, Harnett, Onslow, Pitt, Wake, Johnston, Robeson, Cumberland, Sampson, Nash, and Pender counties); Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (New York City); and District of Oregon (Multnomah, Washington, and Deschutes counties, as well as Portland and Eugene, and the Warm Springs Reservation).
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