5 missing teenage girls found, 30 sex offenders arrested in monthslong US Marshals operation – By Jordan Mendoza (USA Today) / January 2, 2022
Five missing and endangered teenage girls were recovered by U.S. Marshals in a monthslong operation that also saw the arrests of 30 individuals, the agency said last month.
The annual operation sponsored by the U.S. Marshals, dubbed “Operation Boo Dat,” took place from mid-October to mid-December around the New Orleans area along with several Louisiana police and sheriff departments. The five missing girls found ranged from ages 14 to 17, according to a U.S. Marshal news release on Dec. 27.
One of the girls found was a 16-year-old who had left her home by allegedly stealing a relative’s vehicle and handgun, according to the release. She was found at a New Orleans home, living with several adults, including a strip club dancer, the agency said.
According to the agency, a second recovery included a 14-year-old “with possible sex trafficking ties” found in New Orleans alongside a 17- and 15-year-old. The trio said they were stranded by adult males because one of the men’s cousins was shot. A third recovery found a 15-year-old runaway with “prior human sex trafficking issues” in Baton Rogue, Louisiana, but their sex trafficker had recently been murdered.
