More than 123 missing children were found in Detroit as part of an initiative to find victims of sex trafficking, according to reports.
All of the children recovered were interviewed by authorities, with investigators suggesting at least three of them showed signs of having been sexually victimized.
U.S. Marshals issued a press release stating that 123 children had been located, though the State Police tally held the number to be 16 fewer.
The search was conducted in tandem with the efforts of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as the Michigan Police Department. The sweep, which took place in Wayne County, Michigan, took just one day to complete.
The State Police – whose numbers bear a slight discrepancy to those of the U.S. Marshals – confirmed that of the 107 children recovered under ‘Operation MISafeKid’, three were identified as being possible sex trafficking cases, while one case involved a homeless 14-year-old boy who had been abandoned by his mother. He hadn’t eaten in three days.
Investigating cases
In preparation for the sting, the teams began investigating cases and looking through the files of children reported missing. Participating officers then began to visit locations where said children had been last seen,
Information on the missing children is still light, with officials confirming it is an ongoing investigation.
We can’t thank the U.S. Marshals and the police enough for recovering these children when they needed help the most.
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