150 Missing Children Rescued As Part Of Tennessee ‘Operation Volunteer Strong’
A joint law enforcement operation found 150 missing children aged 3 to 17 throughout Tennessee.
CNN reported that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that a task force found the kids during “Operation Volunteer Strong.” The operation involved three “sweeps throughout the state.”
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Four of these children were identified as potential human trafficking victims. A fifth student was described as “a human trafficking victim, resulting in a still-active investigation by a Mississippi local law enforcement agency and FBI.”
“The situations of the children recovered vary widely, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shelly Smitherman said, ranging from children that left home during difficult situations, some who were found with non-custodial family members to children dealing with abuse or exploitation,’” CNN reported.
TBI also announced that a “number of arrests” had been made in connection with the found children.
In a press release, TBI said that their operation began on January 4 and concluded in late February.
The first sweep took place from January 4 to 15 and took place in East Tennessee. Fifty-six missing children were recovered. Five students were found in other states, 27 were recovered before the official operation, and three more were found after it ended.
The second sweep took place in middle Tennessee from January 25 to February 5. 42 Children were recovered.
The final sweep covered West Tennessee from February 8 to 12. Fifty-two more children were rescued.
“I hope this operation changes the course for 150 young lives and leads them to the path of opportunities every child deserves,” Tyreece Miller, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee, said in the press release. “Our efforts should also serve notice to those who prey on society’s most vulnerable that these children are not forgotten. Investigations will continue, and the next knock at the door could be for you.”
The U.S. Marshals Service has rescued more than 2,000 missing children since 2005.
It has a 75% success rate, two-thirds of which are found within seven days.
