KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that over a period of two days, they worked to make contact with 24 at-risk children in the Knoxville area as part of a larger operation involving several agencies.
It was called Operation Not Forgotten and TBI said they were trying to locate and make contact with children who had a history of running away from home for long periods of time, or who were previous victims of human trafficking.
They were hoping to remove them from situations where they could be exploited and connect them with contacts who they said would have an active presence in their lives, making sure the children have access to a safe environment.
Out of the 24 children they identified as being at-risk, they said 12 were found during Operation Not Forgotten. Over the next few weeks, they said agencies will continue trying to find at-risk children who were not initially located. They also said they would stay in contact with the children who were found.
Representatives from the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, the TBI Criminal Intelligence Unit, the Department of Children's Services, the Knoxville Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff's Office worked on Operation Not Forgotten. TBI also said it was the second operation of its kind in Tennessee.