After months of conducting the "Operation Volunteer Strong," 150 missing children were finally rescued and brought back to their families, along with one of the endangered children in Tennessee who had been missing for more than a year.
In a news conference streamed on Facebook Live Wednesday, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Headquarters in Nashville announced the results of the operation they conducted which was planned for several months.
The operation being said was called "Operation Volunteer Strong" which was planned and conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Children's Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service, in which the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also helped in providing supporting data, according to The Blaze.
In the news conference, it was mentioned that the operation was planned for several months which started in the fall of 2020, and their mission is to "identify and locate" all the missing children in Tennessee.
There were 240 missing children recorded in Tennessee's three grand regions and they were able to rescue 150 of the children ages 3 to 17, since they have started the operation on January 4.
8 of these rescued children were found outside of Tennesse.
In East Tennessee, 56 out of the 86 identified missing children were rescued, while three of the rescued children were suspected to be victims of human trafficking.
While in Middle Tennessee, 42 out of the 72 identified missing children were rescued, and one of them is suspected to be a victim of human trafficking.
On the other hand, in West Tennesse, there were identified 82 missing children and 52 of them were rescued where one of the rescued children is suspected to be a victim of human trafficking. Authorities were also able to locate 2 suspected adults with outstanding warrants.
In addition, authorities were also able to arrest the suspect of one of the rescued children's kidnappers.
A kid who was suspected as a possible victim of human trafficking, who has been missing for 460 days, was also rescued, says US Marshall Denny W. King.
"We can't give up. We need the public, we need the media, we need our law enforcement partners, the other children services departments to not give up on these children. To continue to look for them to make sure they know that someone is looking for them," King claimed, asking for help as they search for the other 90 missing children.
"This work is transformational, we cannot stop. And there is nothing more worthwhile," Commissioner of Tennessee Department of Children's Service Jennifer Nichols also said.
Representative Tim Burchett praised the team behind the operation for delivering good results, but also reminded people to be alert at all times as there are "sick and twisted people out there looking to exploit minors."
The president and Chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, John Clark, also commended the team.
"Operation Volunteer Strong is a great example of how working together, we can find missing children and get them the help they need to move forward," he said. "We're thrilled to see so many missing children recovered in Tennessee, and we thank all the agencies involved for their dedication to child protection."
As of the moment, there has been a number of successful rescue operations for missing children and the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee David Jolley assured that they will continue to do their jobs in finding the other missing children.
"We will use every resource at our disposal to help find these missing children," Jolley assured.
The U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee Tyreece Miller also warned predators that they are doing their best to find them and make them pay for their acts.
"Our efforts should also serve notice to those who prey on society's most vulnerable that these children are not forgotten. Investigations will continue and the next knock at the door could be for you." Miller said.
Among the successful operations are Operation Broken Heart in February, Operation Reclaim & Rebuild in January, Operation Lost Angels in January also, Operation Find Our Children in November last year, Operation Autumn Hope in October last year, and many more.
