DALLAS — Federal agents have located, recovered or rescued 31 minors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area after a monthlong operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced Wednesday.
“Operation Missing in the Metroplex” was led by the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Federal agencies partnered with police departments in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and Grand Prairie to locate the missing minors, according to the release.
“To observe law enforcement partnerships and community concerns culminate into such a successful recovery outcome is rewarding,” acting U.S. Marshal Quintella Downs-Bradshaw said in a statement. “Victims should know they are not forgotten, there is hope and a way to return home.”
At least seven minors recovered were critically missing children with ties to sex trafficking, the release said. All were girls ranging in age from 13 years old to 16 years old, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Three were recovered by the Dallas Police Department and three were rescued by the Fort Worth Police Department. The seventh victim was recovered by the Arlington Police Department.
The other 24 children were recovered from friends or relatives and were reunited with their legal guardians. They were removed from the missing children database, officials said.
“While this joint operation lasted approximately 30 days, HSI Dallas will continue working relentlessly to identify and recover missing children who become vulnerable to human traffickers across the North Texas region,” HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin said in a statement. “Our continued collaboration with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners and non-governmental organizations is vital to combatting this global epidemic.”
Cox Media Group
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