USMS Tips App Helps Recover Missing Child

Washington, DC – U.S. Marshals (USMS) in the Northern District of Ohio today recovered a missing child thanks to information a tipster provided in the USMS Tips app.

Tips provided via the app Aug. 28 led district personnel to an address where they made contact with the owner. Through information the owner provided, the child was contacted and located at another address.

“Missing child tips is a new initiative within the USMS Tips program, so it’s very encouraging to have a successful outcome so quickly,” said Darby Kirby Stacy, Chief of the agency’s Missing Child Unit.

Keeping communities safe and protecting the judicial process isn't only up to law enforcement —the USMS relies on assistance from an alert public. That's why USMS launched USMS Tips, a web and mobile application with which the public can safely and discreetly report information on wanted fugitives, non-compliant sex offenders, threats to the judiciary and, most recently, critically missing children.

To submit a tip, users can download the USMS Tips application on their smart device. They can also visit www.usmarshals.gov to submit a web-based tip. When a tip is submitted, the tipster receives a unique tip number, enabling communication directly with a USMS representative. The tipster’s identity will remain anonymous unless they provide it to USMS. If a tipster wants to provide additional information to supplement an original tip, they can log onto USMS Tips using the tip number. If anyone loses their tip number, they can just submit a new tip.

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 gave additional authority to the USMS to assist state and local law enforcement with missing child cases. Since then, U.S. Marshals have been working jointly with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and state and local counterparts to recover missing and endangered children.