Thirty runaway children are back with their families or in the custody of CPS thanks to a joint effort headed up by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division.
When children are reported as runaways, they are put into a database while attempts are made to locate them, said DPS Sgt. Steven Blanco. On occasion, law enforcement agencies join forces to improve their odds of finding those who haven’t been located by their local agency.
On May 9, DPS, the Texas Highway Patrol, Homeland Security, Odessa and Midland police, Ector and Midland county deputies, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, both Midland and Ector County school district police and investigators with the Midland and Ector county district attorney’s offices joined forces with local children’s advocacy centers, probation officers and sexual assault nurse examiners to try to locate runaways.
Thirty kids from Ector and Midland counties were found, Blanco said.
Investigators are working to determine if any of the children were the victims of human trafficking, he said.
If you are a victim of human trafficking or have information about this type of criminal activity, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.
