California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Mar. 10 that 37 missing children were found during operation “Safe Return” in Riverside County. The coordinated effort, led by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the United States Marshals Service (USMS), also resulted in the arrest of seven suspects.
The operation focused on locating at-risk missing children by investigating cases entered into the National Crime Information Center database. Officials said this initiative is part of ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable youth from exploitation and trafficking.
“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 Rob 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.”
Governor Gavin Newsom said, “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.”
The DOJ worked alongside several agencies including the Riverside Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s Office, Probation Office, California Highway Patrol, and Department of Public Social Services during this operation.
The California Attorney General’s office promotes transparency through tools like the OpenJustice portal for publishing criminal justice data according to the official website. It forms an integral component of the executive branch as outlined in the state constitution according to the official website, serving as the state’s chief law enforcement authority with a focus on enforcing laws and protecting public rights according to the official website. Rob Bonta leads this office according to the official website, which exercises its authority across all of California according to the official website while advancing policies related to civil rights, consumer economic security, and environmental justice according to the official website.
DOJ leads three human trafficking teams statewide: Sacramento Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, Fresno Human Trafficking Sexual Predator Apprehension Team, and San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force. The department continues efforts with law enforcement partners across California to combat human trafficking.
