ATLANTA (NEXSTAR) — Over the weekend, you may have seen posts on Facebook asking why the story of 39 missing children found in a double-wide trailer in Georgia wasn’t being covered by the media.
Plain and simple: because it didn’t happen that way.
Last week, the U.S. Marshals announced they rescued 26 children and located 13 others in a 2-week operation dubbed “Operation Not Forgotten.” Those children were found in various locations across the state — not inside a trailer.
Here is one of the Facebook posts widely circulated. As you’ll see, Facebook has labeled the post “false.”
The rescued children were considered to be “some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in Georgia, based on indications of high-risk factors such as victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse and medical or mental health conditions,” according to a news release.
The youngest child was reportedly 3 years old and, while many had been gone for several weeks, one was missing for two years before being rescued.
Authorities arrested nine people, many of whom had multiple arrest warrants for charges including sex trafficking, parental kidnapping, registered sex offender violations, drugs and weapons possession.
The story received nationwide coverage from news outlets including CNN, Fox News, CBS, NBC and ABC.