U.S. Marshals Operation ~This Is The Way Home~ Recovers 19 Missing Endangered Children

New Orleans, LA – A U.S. Marshals Service-led, four-month operation in the New Orleans metro area has resulted in the rescue or recovery of 19 children. An additional 20 children were located and/or self-returned during this operation.

Sponsored and funded by the agency's Missing Child Unit (MCU), Operation "This Is the Way Home" ran from March 1 to June 30 and focused on missing and endangered runaways in the New Orleans metro area with a focus in Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany parishes.

One of the recoveries, a 16-year-old male runaway who was also wanted by the Clarksville, Tennessee, Police Department on warrants for possession of a firearm, evading arrest, narcotics violations, theft, and violation of juvenile probation, was recovered in Slidell in May 2021 with critical assistance from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and USMS Middle District of Tennessee. The teen had been a runaway from Tennessee since February of 2020 and is believed to have been involved in gang and narcotics activity in St. Tammany Parish.

The investigation led to the arrest of Kolby Warren, 21, at a residence in the 59000 block of Preacher's Oak Lane in Slidell on charges of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, illegal possession of stolen firearms, and illegal carrying of weapons.

During this Missing Child Unit investigation, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office seized $17,586 in U.S. currency, seven firearms (with one being stolen out of New Orleans and another being a rifle), and illegal narcotics to include: Codeine, Oxycodone, other Schedule II narcotics, and Marijuana were seized.

During the children's recoveries nine adults were arrested on charges including felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and/or contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. An Amber Alert recovery was also made during the operation. The Amber Alert issued by Arkansas State Police was on a male child under a month old missing out of Paragould, Arkansas. That child was recovered safely in New Orleans. Recoveries during the operation were made in/from the states of Florida, Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee.

New Orleans was one of the original U.S. cities to begin a U.S. Marshals Service pilot program for the Missing Child Unit in 2016, and U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District of Louisiana Deputy U.S. Marshals have provided instruction to other USMS districts and state agencies on how to coordinate their MCU operations, which have gained national news attention within the last two years.

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 enhanced U.S. Marshals Service authority to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement with the recovery of missing, endangered or abducted children, regardless of whether a fugitive or sex offender was involved. The U.S. Marshals Service established its Missing Child Unit to oversee and manage the implementation of its enhanced authority under the act.

The U.S. Marshals Service is heavily involved in a nationwide effort to recover missing and exploited children. Since 2015, the U.S. Marshals have assisted in the recovery of more than 1,800 missing children. Since 2015, the Marshals have contributed to the recovery of a missing child in 75% of cases received and of those, 66% were recovered within seven days of the U.S. Marshals providing assistance with the case.

"This was a joint operation with our local, state, and federal partners and teamwork and information sharing made these results possible. I am extremely proud that the U.S. Marshals Service was tasked with the mission of locating missing and exploited children," said U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana Scott Illing. "While 19 recoveries may not seem high, this work, which is time consuming, was accomplished while also running our normal day-to-day violent felony offender investigations across 13 parishes. A sex offender fugitive operation (NO Saints and Sinners 2021) was also ongoing in the district at the same time resulting in over 35 additional felony arrests, along with our other judicial missions. Our local, state, and federal partners embrace the opportunity to conduct such meaningful operations for the community, in addition to their more traditional law enforcement activities to combat the rise in violent crime."

Participants in Operation "This Is the Way Home:"

• U.S. Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force

• New Orleans Police Department

• Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office

• St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office

• Louisiana State Police

• FBI New Orleans Field Office

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection

• Louisiana Department of Child and Family Services

Any information about missing/endangered children should be reported to your local police department and or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-The-Lost. Information about violent fugitives can be provided to the U.S. Marshals Service at (504) 589-6872, via email at usms.wanted@usdoj.gov, or with the USMS tips app. Crimestoppers GNO may also be contacted with tips at (504) 822-1111.