U.S. Marshals Service conducts massive sweep to recover missing children
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The U.S. Marshals Service joined other law enforcement groups for a one-day sweep that recovered 123 children, with four who were missing, authorities said. (U.S. Marshals Service)
More than 120 children in Michigan were recovered in a one-day sweep in September, the U.S. Marshals Service announced last week.
Out of 301 files of missing children, 123 were recovered during the operation on Sept. 26., the U.S. Marshals Service said in a release.
Michigan police told The Detroit News Wednesday that of the 123, only four were missing.
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The large majority of the children were listed as missing in police computers, Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw told the paper. Most of the kids listed had been reported as missing in the past, but their parents never alerted police after they returned home, Shaw said.
Many were homeschooled, while some were runaways, Shaw told The Detroit News.
MISafeKid, the name of the sweep, is the first operation of its kind in Wayne County, Mich., about 22 miles east of Detroit, Fox 2 Detroit reported.
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Multiple law enforcement agencies, both state and federal, participated in the operation that had an emphasis on locating victims of sex trafficking, the U.S. Marshals Service release said.
All the children located were interviewed about potentially being sexually victimized or used in a sex trafficking ring during the time they were deemed missing, the U.S. Marshals release said. Three cases were identified as being sex trafficking cases.
A homeless teen, who did not have anything to eat in three days, was transported to the command post, according to the release. He was then turned over to Child Protective Services.
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"The message to the missing children and their families that we wish to convey is that we will never stop looking for you."
"The message to the missing children and their families that we wish to convey is that we will never stop looking for you," the U.S. Marshals Service said.