Governor Gavin Newsom & Attorney General Bonta: 37 Missing Children Found in Riverside County Operation
What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced 37 missing children were found during a human trafficking rescue operation in Riverside County.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced 37 missing children were found during Operation “Safe Return” in Riverside County. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) partnered with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) in the coordinated effort, which also resulted in the arrest of seven suspects. Operation Safe Return focused on locating the most at-risk missing children by investigating cases entered into the law enforcement database known as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
Every child deserves to be safe, protected, and given the chance to live their life free from exploitation. California will continue to stand with victims and survivors, protect our most vulnerable, and do everything in our power to bring every child home safely. I’m grateful to our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to locate these missing children, support survivors of trafficking, and hold those responsible for harming our kids accountable.
Governor Gavin Newsom
“We will never stop fighting to protect California children and bring them home. Through close collaboration between state and federal authorities, we were able to identify, locate, and safely recover 37 vulnerable children while holding those responsible for their exploitation accountable,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Finding missing children and bringing them home safely is some of the most important work we can do. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect children, support families, and ensure every child in California is safe.”
The DOJ assisted this USMS-led operation along with several key agencies, including the Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Riverside County Probation Office, California Highway Patrol, and Riverside County Department of Public Social Services.
The DOJ leads three human trafficking teams across the state: the Sacramento Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, the Fresno Human Trafficking Sexual Predator Apprehension Team, and the San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force. Human trafficking involves the exploitation of individuals for sex or labor through force, fraud, or coercion. Traffickers often target people who are already vulnerable due to circumstances such as poverty, housing instability, or other risk factors. The California Department of Justice continues to work with law enforcement partners across the state to combat human trafficking, support victims, and hold perpetrators accountable.