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The task force recovered the children – some of whom are potential victims of human trafficking – in three sweeps across the state.
The situation of recovered children varies widely, said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Deputy Special Agent Shelly Smitherman, ranging from children who have left home during difficult situations, some who have been found with members of the non-custodial family to child abuse or exploitation. “
A “number of arrests” were made during the operation, dubbed “Operation Volunteer Strong,” said West Tennessee District Marshal Tyreece Miller, without going into details on the number of people arrested.
Denny King, the US Marshal of the Tennessee Middle District, said he couldn’t imagine being a parent and having a missing child,
“We can’t give up,” King said. “We need the public, we need the media, we need our partners in law enforcement and other children’s services not to abandon these children.
“We don’t know what damage may have been caused, but we do know that the ones we recovered during this operation are now in a safe environment.”
King noted that a child in his district had been missing for 460 days and was found after being reported by local law enforcement.
Four children were potential victims of human trafficking, TBI said in its press release. A fifth was identified as “a victim of human trafficking, which has prompted an ongoing investigation by a local Mississippi law enforcement agency and the FBI.”
Smitherman said TBI analysts compiled intelligence files on 240 children in the fall they hoped they could find.
She said the TBI, U.S. Marshals and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) searched for leads and, in January, sent teams for surge operations to each of Tennessee’s three districts. Eight children have been 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, most of whom were girls, said DCS Commissioner Jennifer Nichols.
“The number, 150, is commendable, but even more exciting is the reality behind each of those 150 numbers, it’s a child or young person whose life and future could be forever changed,” Nichols said. “The work is transformational. We cannot stop, and there is nothing more worthwhile.”
Children who were in the DCS system before disappearing will return to agency care, which will also provide support such as counseling services to other children.
Efforts to locate the remaining 90 missing children are underway, officials said.
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