U.S. Marshals recover two children missing since 2023

Two children who had been missing from Washington state since December 2023 were located safely in Virginia on September 16, 2026. The recovery was the result of a multi-agency effort involving the U.S. Marshals Service, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and several local police departments, including those in Redmond, Washington, Baltimore County, and Arlington.

Investigators determined the children were taken by their mother after she lost custody and had concealed their identities to evade law enforcement. The U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit tracked leads across three states to locate the children in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Following their recovery, the children were returned to their father.

The U.S. Marshals noted that the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 expanded their authority to recover missing children in cases where no fugitive or sex offender is directly involved. Since the act's implementation, the agency has assisted in locating 5,218 missing children.