US Marshals Find 25 Missing Children In Ohio, Looking For At Least 150 More
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Nearly 200 children are reportedly missing in Ohio right now, and a task force is making progress tracking them down.
U.S. Marshals say some of the children may be in danger, and some of those found were confirmed to be related to human trafficking or prostitution.
WOIO reports that Operation Safety Net recovered 25 missing children in its first two weeks, and the sting is continuing now.
The task force is lead by U.S. Marshals, working with local authorities to get endangered kids to safety.
"These are kids that have been abused, neglected. Some involved in human trafficking," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott told WOIO.
The task force is working with Cleveland, East Cleveland, and Newburgh Heights police departments. They report that of the two dozen missing children found, they were between 13 and 18 years old.
Operation Safety Net is reportedly focusing on Cleveland and its surrounding cities, but the task force is covering all of northern Ohio.
It's made up of about 350 men and women from 125 different departments across the state.
Last week the U.S. Marshals Service announced the end of a two-week operation in Georgia that resulted in the rescue of 26 children, the safe location of 13 children and the arrest of nine criminal associates.
If anything looks out of place with children in your neighborhood or you know of a missing child, you can call in tips to the U.S. Marshals tip line at 1-866-492-6833.
