Eight missing children rescued in Indianapolis
By a Biometrica staffer
Eight missing children were rescued in a five-day operation in the Indianapolis area, as part of “Operation Homecoming.” The children are between 6 and 17 years old and considered to be some of the most “at risk and challenging recovery cases in the area,” according to a report by USA TODAY.
An adult was arrested during the operation on charges that included parental kidnapping, possession of weapons and intimidation, the report said, citing a press release from the U.S. Marshals Southern District of Indiana.
The U.S. Marshals Service planned for months to help locate these children, with other organisations including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). It is the first missing children operation for the U.S. Marshals Southern Indiana District.
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. We will use every resource at our disposal to find [the missing children].
Dan McClain, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana
Additional details on the rescued children and their circumstances were not released. The children were turned over to the care of the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Over 50 children were rescued in similar operations that took place recently in Georgia and Ohio. “Operation Safety Net” led to the discovery of 25 children – aged 13 to 18 – in Ohio, in less than three weeks. The operation is likely to continue into October, U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott said.
In Georgia, “Operation Not Forgotten” led to the rescue of 39 children earlier in September. Many of the recovered children were found with a parent, were kidnapped by a parent, had gone missing from child services, or had fled juvenile justice, the Marshals’ Missing Child Unit chief Darby Kirby told USA TODAY. Of the 39 children, 15 were victims of trafficking – most would be considered runaways “who fell into the human trafficking realm,” Kirby said, according to USA TODAY.
These operations are part of efforts at the local level to locate missing children, rather than a coordinated nationwide sweep. Since 2005, the marshals have helped recover 1,800 missing children.