The U.S. Marshals Service says it has recovered fourteen missing and endangered children and arrested eight people as part of their Missing Child Unit's Operation Summer Knights.
The recoveries include the rescue in July of a 17-year-old male kidnapped from Jefferson Parish and being held for ransom. The Marshals Service says three adults were arrested when stopped on the Causeway Bridge, and the teen was recovered.
In some cases, the missing children were runaways fleeing law enforcement, such as a 16-year-old apprehended in June, wanted by both New Orleans Police and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. The Marshals Service says the juvenile had fled a Jefferson Parish facility in 2021, and is believed to be involved in multiple firearm-related felonies in the metro area in that time.
Law enforcement in the task force also recovered two 12-year-old girls in July reported as runaways, and arrested one adult male for contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and on sex crime charges, a 13-year-old girl reported as a runaway from St. Tammany Parish, and a 15-year-old runaway from Jefferson Parish who claimed to be pregnant, recovered in August.
"I am very proud of the results of Operation Summer Knights and the profound impact it has had on protecting one of the most vulnerable groups in our community," said Enix Smith, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana. "This work could not be accomplished without the support of our federal, state, and local partners agencies involved in safeguarding at-risk children. The U.S. Marshals Service is proud to be a part of a robust MCU program founded on law enforcement teamwork that took root in New Orleans starting in 2016."
