Deputy US marshal led effort to rescue 16 missing children over 2 weeks, Justice Department says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A deputy U.S. marshal from Louisiana led an operation that recovered 16 missing children -- victims of abuse, sex trafficking or other forms of exploitation -- in Georgia over a span of two weeks, earning a commendation from the Justice Department (DOJ) Wednesday.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Gerald Dysart played a key role in April 2019 when guiding Operation Empty Nest, an Atlanta-based operation that involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, according to the DOJ. The victims were between 4 and 17 years old.
In addition to the 16 children who had been declared missing, investigators found and rescued another 11 kids, 11 Alive reported at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NEW ORLEANS POLICE RECRUIT WHOSE FATHER DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS GRADUATES WITH HIS BADGE NUMBER
“The Department of Justice praises his expertise and collaborative abilities, which made possible the rescue of 16 children -- among our society’s most vulnerable -- from evil people who would do them harm,” Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Caren Harp said in a statement.
Dysart established the U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit in 2016, following the federal Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, the DOJ said. Without additional staff or funding, he built up the operation and developed a curriculum used to train law enforcement around the country to help find missing kids.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CALIFORNIA POLICE FIND 5 CHILDREN IN CRATE WITH NO VENTILATION; 3 ADULTS CHARGED
In just the last two years, Dysart and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have helped rescue 500 children, according to the DOJ.
“Senior Inspector Dysart exemplifies persistence and commitment in law enforcement,” said Katharine T. Sullivan, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Justice Programs. “The Department of Justice congratulates him on his tireless efforts to bring these children home, and we stand with our nation’s federal officers in their work to protect America’s youth.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The DOJ also recognized eight other people Wednesday, which was National Missing Children’s Day, for their roles in recovering missing children around the country.
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President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25, 1983, the first National Missing Children’s Day in memory of 6-year-old Etan Patz, who had vanished on his way to school in New York City four years earlier. He never made it to school, but he wasn’t reported missing until the evening when he didn’t come home.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2017, Pedro Hernandez, who had worked nearby as a store clerk, was convicted of Etan’s kidnapping and murder, according to the Office of Justice Programs.
Every year since 1983, the DOJ recognizes the efforts of individuals and agencies that protect children, although this year’s in-person event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.