“Operation Homecoming,” a joint law enforcement action in Akron, Ohio, has recovered 32 missing children.
The operation focused on safely recovering missing children in the Akron and Summit County areas, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a press release.
Operation Homecoming was a joint endeavor between the U.S. Marshals Service, the Akron Police Department and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s Missing Child Unit worked to find the children over the span of three weeks, from August 19 through September 6. They ranged in age from 13-18 years old.
According to the Marshals Service, some of the children were recovered in the Akron area, others in Cleveland, and one child was safely located in Washington state, after being reported missing by the Akron Police Department in April 2022.
After the operation concluded, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated,
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. 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.
“I’m proud of the excellent work of my team and of our partner agencies in this very important operation,” said Sheriff Fatheree. “It is a great example of how collaboration makes us stronger and helps us to better serve and protect our community.”
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding added, “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.”
The U.S. Marshals Service said that law enforcement officers worked closely with Summit County Children’s Services to “ensure that resources were available to the children that were recovered, especially those who had been missing for a longer period of time.”
According to the Global Slavery Index, over 1 million people are estimated to be living in modern slavery in the United States alone.
Modern slavery is an “internationally recognized umbrella term for crimes including human trafficking in which human beings are controlled, coerced and exploited for profit, whether through labor, sex trafficking and forced prostitution, domestic servitude or criminal exploitation.”
Thankfully, the 32 recovered children may have been saved from a lifetime of trafficking or other abusive situations.
We give thanks to God for their safe return. And we thank the men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives to defend those who are vulnerable and rescue the innocent.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888). The Trafficking Hotline also connects victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services they need to get help and stay safe.
To learn more about the scourge of human trafficking, listen to an episode of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, My Rescue From Human Trafficking to New Life in Christ. You’ll hear Jean Marie Davis recount her life as a sex trafficking victim, to when she found freedom through Jesus Christ at a pregnancy resource center (PRC). Jean found practical help and a new life, and today is the executive director of a PRC in Vermont.
You can also listen to another episode of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, Human Trafficking: What You Need to Know. You’ll hear Linda Smith, President of Shared Hope International, discuss the trafficking of minors in the United States, how listeners can fight it and how parents can protect their children.
Related articles and resources:
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
NCMEC’s 24/7 call center number: 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678)
Human Trafficking: What You Need to Know
How to Fight Human Trafficking
Understanding the Scope of Human Trafficking
‘Operation Hope’ Leads to Recovery of 32 Sex Trafficking Victims
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