Law enforcement officers located and recovered dozens of missing children in an operation that wrapped up this month, authorities announced on Sept. 9.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s Missing Child Unit worked with Akron Police Department officers and Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies for an endeavor dubbed Operation Homecoming to try to find missing children around Akron and Summit, which are both in Ohio.
Over three weeks starting on Aug. 19, the law enforcement personnel located and recovered 32 missing children.
“Dedicated work by our Missing Child Unit along with Akron Police and the Sheriff’s Office have made an incredible impact in the safe recovery of these children,” Pete Marshal, the U.S. marshal for the Northern of District of Ohio, said in a statement.
“The U.S. Marshals Service will continue to dedicate its time and resources to the safe recovery of missing children in our communities throughout northern Ohio.”
Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree added: “I’m proud of the excellent work of my team and of our partner agencies in this very important operation. It is a great example of how collaboration makes us stronger and helps us to better serve and protect our community.”
Many of the children were found in and around Akron or Cleveland. One, who was reported missing from Akron in 2022, was located in Washington state.
“The partnership and devoted work by law enforcement in this operation directly led to the safe recovery of the missing child located across the country,” Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said.
The recovered children were connected with the Summit County Children’s Services.
A federal law called the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 gave authority to the U.S. Marshals to help other law enforcement agencies, upon a request from an agency, to find and recover missing children.
The service regularly reports finding and helping find missing children. In May 2023, for example, the service said it worked with a number of other agencies to find or recover 225 missing children, including some children who were abducted.
Marshals were first appointed by the first U.S. president, George Washington, in 1789. The Marshals Service is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.
