HILLSBORO, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A West Virginia child that has been missing since September of 2022 has been found in Maine by U.S. Marshals.
According to a press release, the U.S. Marshals Service, Maine Violent Offender Task Force, announces the recovery of a West Virginia juvenile in Portland Maine. The juvenile was reported as a runaway from a foster care home in Hillsboro, West Virginia, in September of 2022.
Through a collaborative investigative effort, authorities learned the juvenile was believed to be residing at a residence in Portland, Maine. Members of the Task Force were able to safely recover the juvenile without incident.
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 gave the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) discretionary authority to assist other law enforcement agencies with the recovery of missing, endangered, or abducted children, regardless of whether a fugitive or sex offender was involved.
Upon request, the U.S. Marshals Service assists other law enforcement agencies with the recovery of “critically missing children,” who have gone missing under circumstances that indicate an elevated risk to the child. Since 2015, when the U.S. Marshals Service received this enhanced authority under the Act, the agency has recovered more than 2,700 missing children.
The U.S. Marshals Service, Maine Violent Offender Task Force, was significantly assisted by the Portland Police Department, USMS Northern District of West Virginia’s Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, and the West Virginia State Police. The U.S. Marshals Service Maine Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Maine State Police, Maine Department of Corrections, Biddeford Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
