INDIANAPOLIS — A major law enforcement operation to locate and assist victims of human trafficking and related crimes resulted in the location of more than 200 victims during the first two weeks of August.
In Indiana, nine victims and three sex offenders were located in a joint effort between the FBI, U.S. Marshals and IMPD missing persons.
The operation, known as Operation Cross Country is a coordinated operation among the FBI, other federal agencies, state agencies, local police and social services agencies across the country to find and assist victims of human trafficking, particularly child victims.
According to FBI Indianapolis, the victims and sex offenders were located and/or identified on Aug. 12.
“The initiative really just takes a concentrated period of time where we’re just focused on the problem of child sex trafficking,” Section Chief Jose Perez, who oversees violent crime investigations in the FBI said. “What we do is we sit down with our local partners and our task forces and identify certain areas where we know sex trafficking is prevalent, and we’ll dedicate resources and efforts to identify and remove victims from those areas.”
In total, the FBI was able to locate 37 missing children and 141 adults during the nationwide operation.
-
Shelby County teen arrested, charged as adult for May school shooting plot
A 17-year-old student has been charged as an adult in connection with an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at Morristown Jr./Sr. High School in Shelby County on May 25, 2026.
Deadly crash shuts down I-69 in Noblesville; Northbound reopens
A deadly crash involving a tanker explosion shut down both directions of Interstate 69 Wednesday morning near Noblesville.
From Carmel to the Peach Bowl: One IU fan’s 10-year, 119-game streak
Hawkins is far from a casual supporter. Over the past decade, he has attended 119 consecutive IU football games, a streak that spans more than 10 years.
Faith community encourages members to get involved in Streets to Home Indy
Streets to Home Indy is in its first phase, which is focused on the highest-risk population. The goal is to house between 300 to 350 individuals currently facing homelessness by this summer.