US Marshals Service operation locates missing children in Oregon, across US

Around 200 endangered runaways and missing children, including 33 from Oregon, have been found and rescued as part of an operation conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies.

The operation , called "Operation We Will Find You 2," was conducted May 20-June 24 by the Marshals Service and other federal, state and local agencies across the U.S., the service said in a statement last week.

With help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, agencies recovered and removed 123 children from dangerous situations, the Marshals Service said. The other 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement and child welfare agencies.

In Oregon, 33 children were located or recovered. Operations were carried out in Multnomah, Washington and Deschutes counties, as well as Portland and Eugene, and the Warm Springs Reservation with the help of several law enforcement agencies.

The operation was conducted not only in parts of Oregon but also in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and New York, which are known to have "high clusters of critically missing children," the service said.

According to the Marshals Service, children who are missing may be in serious danger and can be vulnerable to child sex trafficking, abuse, exploitation and other crimes against children.

“There are no words to describe the terror felt by missing children, their families, and their communities,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a written statement. The service and NCMEC "work every day to keep children safe," he said.

Oregon children among 200 found, rescued

The U.S. Marshals Service defines a child as "located" when deputies find the child, but the child is determined to be in a safe location or the child refuses to go with DHS. A child "recovered" is when the child is physically removed from their location or situation.

Of the 33 children involved in the operation in Oregon, 18 were recovered and 15 were located. One Juvenile warrant was cleared, seven additional juveniles were cleared from the National Crime Information Center and two cases were referred for human trafficking investigations.

Children located, recovered

According to the Marshals Service, deputies worked with the Warm Springs Police Department in Oregon to recover or locate five missing children from the Warm Springs Reservation.

The service claims their efforts were "in alignment with the Department of Justice's goal of helping Tribal Police address the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons," which resulted in the recovery and location of all five children listed as missing.

In Portland on May 21, a 12-year-old girl went missing from her family home and had reported allegations of sexual abuse by family members.

Law enforcement officers managed to contact the child through her cellphone, and she agreed to meet them at a grocery store in the Portland area, the Marshals Service said. The officers received a call back from the child and a friend who claimed that her father was trying to pull her into his car, and she was scared.

Investigators with the Marshals Service were able to intervene and separate the endangered child from her father.

On May 24, the child was safely recovered and placed in a foster home where she was kicked out within 24 hours of being there as the Oregon Department of Human Services began to investigate the allegations, according to the Marshals Service.

The child then called a Deputy U.S. Marshal she had built rapport with and asked for assistance, the Service said. An incident report was filed with DHS and the child was placed in a state-run shelter.

US Marshals Service: Youngest missing child found was 5 months old

The operation, which follows last year's Operation We Will Find You , focuses on high-risk missing children likely vulnerable to sexual abuse, sex trafficking and and other exploitation, authorities said.

Most of those rescued were released to child protective services agencies. Other children reported missing were found at the request of law enforcement to confirm their location and safety, the service said.

The youngest child recovered in the recent operation was 5 months old, the service said; 14 of the children were found outside the city where they went missing. Of the missing children recovered, 57% were recovered within seven days of the Marshals Service assisting with the case.

“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," said NCMEC president and CEO Michelle DeLaune said. "Behind every statistic, there is a child who deserves to grow up safe from harm.”

Reporting from USA TODAY was used in this article.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: US Marshals Service operation locates missing children in Oregon, across US