Missing child operation recovers 200 children nationwide, U.S. Marshals say

July 1 (UPI) -- Two-hundred critically missing children have been found after a six-week national operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service, and federal, state and local agencies in seven regions.

Operation We Will Find You 2, which was the second-of-its-kind nationwide missing child operation, was conducted from May 20 to June 24, the Department of Justice said Monday in a news release .

"There are no words to describe the terror felt by missing children, their families, and their communities," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the news release. "I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the U.S. Marshals Service and the National 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."

With technical assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, OWWFY2 recovered and removed 123 children from dangerous situations. An additional 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement or child welfare agencies.

Of the children found, 173 were endangered runaways, 25 considered otherwise missing, one was a family abduction and one non-family abduction.

They focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing children, who may be in serious danger and can be vulnerable to child sex trafficking, abuse, exploitation and other crimes against children, the DOJ said.

The operation was conducted in:

• District of Arizona (Phoenix, Glendale, Goodyear, Tucson, South Tucson, Pima counties)
• Eastern District of California (San Joaquin County, Stockton, Sacramento County.
• Southern District of Florida (Broward, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
• Western District of Michigan (Kent, Lake, Ingham, Ottawa counties.)
• Eastern District of North Carolina (New Hanover, Brunswick, Harnett, Onslow, Pitt, Wake, Johnston, Robeson, Cumberland, Sampson, Nash, Pender counties.)
• Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (New York City)
• District of Oregon (Multnomah, Wash., and Deschutes counties, as well as Portland and Eugene, and the Warm Springs Reservation.)

Of the 20,500 cases reported to NCMC each year , 2% were critically missing adults, and 1 percent were lost, injured or otherwise missing children, authorities said.

Approximately 460,000 children are reported missing each year, according to the FBI , with 99.8 percent eventually coming home alive and well.

The youngest child recovered in the operation was 5 months old with no details listed in the news release. Fourteen children were found outside the city where they went missing. Of the missing children recovered, 57 percent were recovered within seven days of the Marshall Service assisting with the case.

"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," President and CEO Michelle DeLaune of NCMEC said. "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."

On April 29, a 1-year-old was reported missing to the Raleigh, N.C., Police Department after her mother neglected to surrender her to the Department of Social Services. She was previously convicted for her actions in the strangulation, assault and death of one of her children, a 4-year-old boy. On May 15, USMS personnel and police personnel arrested the child's mother in Raleigh and the child was recovered.

On May 21, a 12-year-old girl went missing from her family home in Portland, Ore., and she had reported allegations of sexual abuse by family members. Three days later, the child was safely recovered. Officers received a call from the child and a friend stating that her father was trying to pull her into his car and she was scared.

The DOJ news release listed other notable recoveries.