BOSTON (WWLP) – A 10-week operation between national, state and local agencies has resulted in the recovery of 225 endangered missing children across the country, including 32 here in Massachusetts.
“Operation We Will Find You” is the first nationwide missing child operation that focused on areas with high amounts of missing children. The children include runaways and those abducted by non-custodial people. U.S. Marshalls, Homeland Security, state and local police helped located 32 missing Massachusetts kids.
U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, Brian A. Kyes, stated “I am grateful for the cooperative efforts amongst our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners across the Commonwealth in locating and recovering our community’s most vulnerable children. The USMS will continue to focus on keeping all of our kids safe from harm’s way.”
The following agencies participated in the operation in Massachusetts:
- Massachusetts State Police
- Department of Youth Services
- Department Children Family Services
- Attleboro Police Department
- Brockton Police Department
- Beverly Police Department
- Boston Police Department
- Cambridge Police Department
- Chelsea Police Department
- Fall River Police Department
- Haverhill Police Department
- Lawrence Police Department
- Lynn Police Department
- Medford Police Department
- Northborough Police Department
- Randolph Police Department
- Worcester Police Department
- Suffolk County DA
Across the country, 42 children were found in the city where they went missing and 10 were found outside the United States. In addition, a top 15 Most Wanted couple that ran away to Mexico was found with their five children.
A total of 169 children were recovered and another 56 children were found safe. The youngest child returned was just six months old. More than 40 cases of trafficking across the country were reviewed by local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshalls Services. Of the cases closed, 86% were endangered runaways, roughly 9% were family abductions and 5% were considered missing.
Since U.S. Marshalls partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2005, more than 3,000 missing children have been located.