A U.S. Marshals Service operation dubbed “Homecoming” successfully rescued eight missing children aged 6 to 17 years old in the Indianapolis area last week.
According to USMS, the children in question “were considered to be some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area” and were considered high risk due to factors such as “victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sex abuse, physical abuse and medical or mental health conditions.”
The Marshals Service worked in collaboration with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and other community partners in order to locate the “highly endangered missing children.”
Officers were given the case files, and they began investigating the children’s whereabouts starting with their last known addresses, friends’ homes, and schools, the release stated.
The operation resulted not only in the recovery of the missing children but also in the apprehension of an adult suspect who is now facing charges related to parental kidnapping, intimidation, weapons possession, and custodial interference.
“The Marshals are committed to assisting state and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children to help prevent their falling victim to crimes of violence and exploitation,” said McClain, who oversaw the operation.
Operation Homecoming is the first USMS Southern District of Indiana mission of its kind related to the locating of missing children.
Recently, there have been several other child-rescue operations undertaken by the USMS elsewhere in the country, such as Georgia’s “Operation Not Forgotten,” which located 39 children, and “Operation Safety Net” in Ohio, which recovered 25 missing teenagers and is still ongoing.
