The task force recovered the children – some of whom are potential victims of human trafficking – from three sweeps across the state.
Situations for recovered children vary widely, said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) assistant special agent Shelly Smitherman, from children who left home during difficult situations, some who were found with relatives without custody to children “dealing with abuse. or exploitation. “
A “number of arrests” were made during the operation, dubbed “Operation Strong Volunteer,” said United States Marshal Tyreece Miller in western Tennessee, without elaborating on how many people were arrested.
Denny King, the US Marshal for the Tennessee Middle District, said he couldn’t imagine being a father and having a missing son,
“We can’t give up,” said King. “We need the public, we need the media, we need our law enforcement partners and the other child services departments to not give up on these children.
“We don’t know what damage could have been done, but we do know that those we recovered during this operation are in a safe environment today.”
King noted that a child in his district had been missing for 460 days and was located after a report to local authorities.
Four children were potential victims of human trafficking, the TBI said in its press release. A fifth was identified as “a victim of human trafficking, resulting in a still active investigation by a local Mississippi police agency and the FBI.”
Smitherman explained that TBI analysts compiled intelligence files in the fall of 240 children they hoped could be found.
She said the TBI, US Marshals and Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) tracked down clues and in January sent teams to emergency operations in each of Tennessee’s three districts. Eight children were found in other states. Operations began on January 4 and ended on February 26, the TBI said in its press release.
Of the 150 children, 93 were DCS children, mostly girls, said DCS commissioner Jennifer Nichols.
“The absolute number, 150, is commendable, but even more exciting is the reality behind each of these 150 numbers: a child or young person whose life and future can change forever,” said Nichols. “Work is transformative. We cannot stop and there is nothing more valuable.”
Children who were in the DCS system before they disappeared will return to the care of the agency, which will also provide support as counseling services for other children.
Efforts to find the remaining 90 missing children are underway, officials said.