The U.S. Marshals Service and several other law enforcement agencies in Michigan recovered 123 missing children over the course of a day, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced Wednesday that authorities conducted a one-day sweep called Operation MISafeKid on September 26 to locate sex trafficking victims.
Officers went through 301 case files to investigate the whereabouts of the victims by going to last known addresses, schools, and homes of friends. Once the operation was complete, authorities identified and safely recovered 123 missing children.
“Three cases were identified as being possible sex trafficking cases, and one homeless teen was transported back to the command post after it was discovered that he had not had anything to eat in three days,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement. “He was then debriefed and turned over to Child Protective Services for aftercare.”
Investigators also found information on three missing children outside the state—two in Texas and one in Minnesota. Both cases are currently under investigation.
The investigation took place in Wayne County, and it was the first of its kind to be conducted in the area.