Baltimore, MD – The U.S. Marshals in the District of Maryland
announce the results of “Operation Not Forgotten,” a 60-day operation to
locate and recover critically missing children throughout Maryland. The
operation resulted in the recovery of 18 previously missing children and
the self-return of 11 more children. Also, U.S. Marshals and local
agencies located 102 additional children who had previously been
reported missing and confirmed their return to the custody of their
legal guardians.
Led by U.S. Marshals personnel from the Capital
Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the District of Maryland, the
operation included support from the two U.S. Marshals district offices
in Washington. Additional law enforcement partners included Maryland
State Police, Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s
County Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department and the
Baltimore Police Department. Altogether, more than 30 investigators
collaborated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of
Maryland, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the
Maryland Department of Human Services – Child Protective Services
(Baltimore City and Prince George’s County) to close 131 missing child
cases.
“Children are a blessing and are America’s future leaders.
We must always protect their innocence and defend them from physical and
sexual abuse by predators and unscrupulous individuals,” said U.S.
Marshal Johnny L. Hughes of the District of Maryland.
“The U.S.
Attorney’s Office is committed to supporting our law enforcement
partners in pursuit of justice on behalf of vulnerable members of our
society—especially children,” said Acting United States Attorney
Jonathan F. Lenzner. “We commend the U.S. Marshals Service and their law
enforcement partners for their leadership and tireless work in finding
children and bringing them home. Everyone in the community must
prioritize child safety and preventing victimization, including through
mentoring and other supportive programs to help at-risk children and
their families. Our office will always aggressively pursue and prosecute
those who prey on young people, and we are pleased to support efforts
like this operation.”
The U.S. Marshals are leading the way in a
nationwide effort to recover missing and exploited children. Since 2015,
the U.S. Marshals have assisted in the recovery of more than 1,800
missing children. Since 2015, the Marshals have contributed to the
recovery of a missing child in 75% of cases received and of those, 66%
were recovered within seven days of the Marshals providing assistance
with the case.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s Capital Area Regional
Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force whose mission is to
focus resources and efforts on the reduction of violence within the
National Capital Region through the identification, investigation and
apprehension of fugitives wanted for egregious crimes against the
community.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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America’s
First Federal Law Enforcement Agency