WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — 27 missing children were recovered in Virginia as part of the five-day law enforcement effort, “Operation Find Our Children,” the Department of Justice announced Friday.
The operation also confirmed the location of six other children who were previously reported missing but were by found the U.S. Marshals in the custody of their legal guardian.
The operation was led by deputy U.S. Marshals from the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia along with more than 60 law enforcement investigators, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and local officials to form the primary team. The Virginia Department of Social Services and medical professionals also were involved.
“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable children in our society and ‘Operation Find Our Children’ does just that,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “While this Virginia operation is the most recent recovery of endangered and missing children led by the U.S. Marshals Service this year, we have also recovered more than 440 kids in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana and other states. Because of this initiative, the recovered children are now out of harm’s way.”
According to the Department of Justice, the U.S. Marshals Service has recovered more than 2,000 missing children since 2005. The agency says it has recovered the missing children in 75% of the cases it receives.