JACKSON, Miss. — Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Monday announced the launch of Operation Hope, a new multi-agency initiative aimed at locating missing foster children, saying 13 children were found and brought to safety during the effort.
Fitch announced the program alongside U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams, HHS Inspector General T. March Bell and Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Commissioner Andrea Sanders.
Officials said the operation combined law enforcement, child welfare agencies and support services to locate vulnerable children in foster care before they could be exploited or harmed. “We are proud to have helped kick off this program here in Mississippi,” Fitch said. She said the effort was designed to show children “that they matter, and that they deserve hope.”
Adams said the operation recovered 87 percent of the missing foster youth identified during the initiative in less than 48 hours. “To continue serving the best interests of children, Operation Hope will be replicated in other states, and we will leave no stone unturned when searching for these kids,” Adams said. Bell said missing foster children require “a rapid, multi-faceted law enforcement response” and called the Mississippi effort a model for other states.
Sanders said the operation focused on ensuring vulnerable children knew “someone was looking for them.” Officials said children located during the operation were offered support services in addition to being recovered safely. The announcement said the federal government first launched a similar initiative, Project Hope, in Kansas and Missouri, where officials said 42 missing children were located.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
