US Marshals find 200 missing children in six-week operation

(NewsNation) — Forty years ago, Ofelia Flores survived the horrors of human trafficking as a minor, but she was treated like a criminal rather than a victim. Today, U.S. Marshals are on a mission to prevent other young people from experiencing the trauma of sex trafficking, drugs or a life of crime.

According to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, more than 375,000 children were reported missing across the country in 2023.

In early May, police officers and local law enforcement launched a search for a missing 17-year-old boy in North Carolina as part of Operation We Will Find You. It was the second such nationwide operation.

During their search, they knocked on hundreds of doors in seven cities over a six-week period. Authorities failed to find the teenager they were looking for, but they didn't give up.

During the mission, U.S. Marshals located 200 children, removed 123 from dangerous situations and located 77 children safely in seven states.

“This should be a priority for the country,” said U.S. Marshal Service Director Ronald Davis. “Some of them are runaways, some of them are now going to be victims of trafficking and prostitution, and we have an obligation to try to find them.”