AKRON, Ohio — The U.S. Marshals have announced that they have recovered 32 missing children in the Akron area during "Operation Homecoming."
Officials say "Operation Homecoming" was a joint effort between the U.S. Marshals, Akron Police Department and Summit County Sheriff's Office. The operation focused on recovering missing children from Akron and Summit County.
Between Aug. 19-Sept. 6, members of the missing child unit worked with Akron police and Summit County Sheriff's deputies to identify missing and endangered children in their area.
During that time, law enforcement officers safely recovered and located 32 missing children that ranged in age from 13-18 years old.
"Sometimes the places these kids are running to are better off than from where they’re running from,” explained U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott in a conversation with 3News' Mitti Hicks. “It’s a little bit of everything. Sometimes in situations, we’ve had parents trafficking their own kids.”
Officials say that most of the missing children were recovered in the Akron area, while others were recovered in Cleveland. One child, who was reported missing by Akron police in April 2022, was safely located in Washington.
"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," added Elliott.
In addition, law enforcement officers worked closely with Summit County Children's Services to ensure that resources were available for the recovered children.
“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.”
Want to be among the first to know the most important local and national news? The latest sports updates? We've got you covered! You can download the free WKYC app and get the latest updates sent to your phone: Android, Apple.