August 31, 2020
The US Marshals announced on Thursday (Aug. 27) that 39 missing children from ages 3 to 17 were recovered across 20 Georgia counties, during a two-week rescue mission dubbed 'Operation Not Forgotten.'
Nine suspects were arrested and face criminal charges including sex trafficking, parental kidnapping, custodial interference and registered sex offender violence resulted from the investigation.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr praised the rescue saying: 'I cannot say enough about Operation Not Forgotten and the men and women behind it.'
'Operation Not Forgotten' was conducted by the US Marshals Service Missing Child Unit, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Georgia state and local authorities, according to WSB-TV.
Officials said the missing children were 'considered to be some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area, based on indications of high-risk factors such as victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions.'
"The US Marshals Service is fully committed to assisting federal, state, and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children, in addition to their primary fugitive apprehension mission," said US Marshals Service Director Donald Washington in a statement. "The message to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you."