A recent operation conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement agencies led to the recovery of 32 missing children in Ohio.
In a press release by the U.S. Marshals Service, officials announced that the recovery effort, known as Operation Homecoming, was “focused on the safe recovery of missing children from the Akron and Summit County areas.” Operation Homecoming was a joint effort between the U.S. Marshals Service, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the Akron Police Department.
The U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit worked alongside the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the Akron Police Department from August 19 to September 6 to “identify missing and endangered children.” Operation Homecoming resulted in the recovery of 32 missing children ages 13-18.
According to the press release, some of the missing children were discovered in the Akron area, while others were recovered in the Cleveland area. Additionally, one child, who was reported missing in April of 2022, was recovered in Washington state.
“Dedicated work by our Missing Child Unit along with Akron Police and the Sheriff’s Office have made an incredible impact in the safe recovery of these children,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said following the operation. “The U.S. Marshals Service will continue to dedicate its time and resources to the safe recovery of missing children in our communities throughout northern Ohio.”
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Reflecting on the success of the joint operation, Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree described Operation Homecoming as a “great example of how collaboration makes us stronger and helps us to better serve and protect our community.”
According to ABC News 5 Cleveland, Deputy U.S. Marshal Vinny Piccoli, who leads the U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit, noted that missing children are often recovered from terrible situations.
Piccoli said, “Guns, drugs, whatever the case may be, people that they’ve been hanging out with older males, older females, where there’s been trafficking involved, prostitution involved, so we’ve removed kids from situations like that.”
The U.S. Marshals Service noted that law enforcement officials coordinated with Summit County Children Services to provide resources for the children who were recently recovered under Operation Homecoming, especially for the children who had been missing for an extended length of time.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding emphasized that the “partnership and devoted work” of the multiple law enforcement agencies involved in Operation Homecoming “directly led to the safe recovery of the missing child located across the country.”
