How Gwinnett County deputies recovered 3 missing children

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office recently reported that its T.R.A.C.E. Unit (Trafficking and Child Exploitation) has successfully recovered three missing children and arrested a man accused of attempting to meet a child for sexual purposes. This action follows concerns over the high number of missing children in the county. 

Austin Godfrey, Assistant Chief of Field Operations, explained that the unit focuses on protecting vulnerable children, like the three recently recovered in an operation conducted off Oakbrook Parkway in Norcross. "We know that they're very vulnerable and they're part of some of our most vulnerable populations," he said. 

READ MORE: 3 children rescued during human traffic operation in Gwinnett County, sheriff says

Though no arrests have been made directly from this recovery, authorities are investigating potential trafficking involvement and expect future arrests if evidence supports it. "If we're able to determine that, you know, there's a there's a trafficker involved, absolutely," he promised. 

In August, it was reported that the Gwinnett County Police Department was searching for over 20 missing teens, raising alarm over how children survive while missing and the dangers of exploitation. Godfrey mentioned that predators often take advantage of these vulnerable children, using their need for basic survival resources as leverage. "When that kid's out there missing, what are they using for currency? You know, how are they, where do they sleep? Where do they, how do they eat? You know, and so there becomes a level of survival involved. And then so, there's people out there who want to exploit that," he said. 

The T.R.A.C.E. Unit works undercover both online and, in the streets, to apprehend traffickers and predators. In recent operations, two men were arrested for soliciting sex from minors, while a 42-year-old man was caught after attempting to arrange a meeting with what he thought was a child for sexual activity. "We had another one yesterday…it was a 42-year-old male, I believe, who had, you know, believed that they were speaking with a child and had started to talk about, you know, sexual acts, sexual activity, and arranged to arrange the time to meet up. And when they did, then that person was arrested," Godfrey said. 

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Godfrey credited the unit’s proactive approach for its success, emphasizing that they work tirelessly to protect children. "We're not going to sit back and wait. You know, we're going to work. We're out there all the time. And that's what we do every day," he said. 

The sheriff's office also encourages the public to report any suspicions of child exploitation by contacting the T.R.A.C.E. Unit’s tipline at 770-619-6655.