1-Day Operation In Michigan Safely Recovers 123 Missing Children
DETROIT (CBS13) – A one-day sweep in Wayne County, Michigan, identified and recovered 123 missing children.
"Operation MISafeKid" was focused on locating victims of sex trafficking and took place on Sept. 26.
It involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the F.B.I., Michigan State Police, the Detroit Police Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Investigators looked into missing child case files prior to the operation and began by visiting last known addresses, friend's homes and schools in hopes of finding them in a safe place.
"Out of 301 files of missing children, 123 were identified and recovered safely during the operation," the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement released Tuesday. "All 123 children were physically located and interviewed — standard protocol for the Michigan State Police. All of the children located were interviewed about potentially being sexually victimized or used in a sex trafficking ring during their period of time that they were deemed missing. Three cases were identified as being possible sex trafficking cases."
Additionally, investigators uncovered information about two missing children in Texas and one in Minnesota. The U.S. Marshals Service is actively investigating and working to recover those children at this time.
"The Eastern District of Michigan is fully committed to assisting state and local agencies with locating and recovering missing children and the prevention of their falling victim to sex trafficking," officials stated. "The message to the missing children and their families that we wish to convey is that we will never stop looking for you."
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at www.usmarshals.gov.