The United States Marshals Service’s “Operation Not Forgotten” led to the discovery of 39 missing children in Georgia over a two-week span in August.
The USMS Missing Child Unit, along with the agency’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Georgia state and local agencies, rescued 26 children and safely located 13 others in the cities of Atlanta and Macon, according to USMS.
Authorities arrested nine criminal associates, who had a total of 19 arrest warrants out of 26 that were cleared as a part of this operation, USMS said. Additional charges were also filed for alleged crimes related to sex trafficking, parental kidnapping, registered sex offender violations, drugs and weapons possession, and custodial interference.
The missing children who were found 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, USMS 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,” said Darby Kirby, Chief of the Missing Child Unit. “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.”
In 2019, the USMS helped recover 295 missing children.
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