U.S. marshals recover 39 missing children in Georgia

ATLANTA (WGCL) — The U.S. Marshals Service says 26 of the children were rescued and the other 13 were located to make sure they were safe.

The two-week mission was led by the U.S Marshals Service Missing Child Unit in conjunction with the agency’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the National Center for Missing and exploited Children, and Georgia state and local agencies.

The operation was executed in both Atlanta and Macon.

The agency explains all the missing children were considered to be some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area based on high-risk factors such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, and victimization of child sex trafficking.

The director of the U.S. Marshals Service, Donald Washington, says the message he has to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you.

“They are America’s children, and they are kids that we need to go and find. Right here in Atlanta, approximately 300 young girls are lured into sex trafficking every month,” Washington said.