Authorities recovered dozens of missing Ohio children as part of a joint effort between federal and local law enforcement.
Over a three-week period in August and September, the U.S. Marshals Service, Akron Police Department and Summit County Sheriff's Office located 32 missing kids as a result of "Operation Homecoming," officials announced Monday.
The children were between 13 and 18 years old, and were recovered in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. One victim was found 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. 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," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement.
"Sometimes the places these kids are running to are better off than from where they're running from," Elliott said separately in an interview with WKYC-TV.
"It's a little bit of everything," he admitted. "Sometimes in situations, we've had parents trafficking their own kids."
