(WXYZ) — You may have seen a viral social media post going around several platforms that is misleading in what actually happened.
The post reads, "How is finding 39 missing children in a double wide trailer in Georgia NOT the biggest news story in America?"
It's a misleading and false statement. There weren't 39 missing children found in a double-wide trailer in Georgia.
Instead, the U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit conducted a two-week operation called "Operation Not Forgotten" with several other law enforcement agencies.
During the two-week operation, there were 39 children rescued and nine people arrested.
Twenty six of the 39 children were rescued and removed from potentially dangerous situations and 13 of the children were safely found.
The missing children were considered to be some of the most at-risk for several reasons, the Marshals said, including the "victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions. Other children were located at the request of law enforcement to ensure their wellbeing."
Nine people were arrested 26 other arrest warrants were cleared and filed additional charges for alleged crimes related to sex trafficking, parental kidnapping, sex offender violations and more.
“The U.S. Marshals Service is fully committed to assisting federal, state, and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children, in addition to their primary fugitive apprehension mission,” said Director of the Marshals Service Donald Washington. “The message to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you.”
