We Will Never Stop Looking for You

The U.S. Marshals Service announced today, that 13 missing children were found and an additional 26 endangered children were rescued during the two-week operation centered on Atlanta and a city to its south, Macon.

The missing children were considered to be “some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases” and some were likely victims of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, abuse and had medical or mental health conditions, authorities said. 

Nine people were arrested on charges including sex trafficking, parental kidnapping and custodial interference, as well as registered sex offender and weapons violations. The missing children were considered to be “some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases” and some were likely victims of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, abuse and had medical or mental health conditions, authorities said.

FBI has reports of more than 421,000 missing children and of those, around 90% are considered endangered runaways. One in six of the endangered runaways is likely to become the victim of sex trafficking, authorities said. Roughly 300 young girls in the Atlanta area are lured into trafficking every month. One of his most important messages was directed to victims of trafficking — “We will never stop looking for you.”