The U.S. Marshals Service says a 10-week operation resulted in the recovery and location of 25 missing children in Metro Detroit.
Operation We Will Find You involved the U.S. Marshals, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police Missing Child Clearinghouse and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The national operation resulted in the recovery or safe location of 25 missing children, which includes runaways and those abducted by non-custodial persons in Southeast Michigan, the Marshals said in a press release.
Owen M. Cypher, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Michigan said “the U.S. Marshals service has many important missions, but I cannot think of any that is more critical than finding children who are missing and getting them to safety. When the USMS receives a missing child case, time is of the utmost essence, and we will dedicate all resources and stop at nothing to ensure a safe recovery of that child.”
The U.S. Marshals Service said these missing children were considered some of the most 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. In addition, other children were located at the request of law enforcement to ensure they were safe and confirm the child’s location.
Since its partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children began in 2005, the agency has recovered over 3,050 missing children.
