Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta jointly announced the results of the operation, which also led to seven arrests, including one federal arrest on a child sex trafficking charge carried out by Homeland Security Investigations.
"Every child deserves to be safe, protected, and given the chance to live their life free from exploitation," Newsom said in a statement. "California will continue to stand with victims and survivors, protect our most vulnerable, and do everything in our power to bring every child home safely."
The operation was led by the United States Marshals Service with the California Department of Justice and focused on children who had been missing anywhere from one to 24 months. Investigators used the National Crime Information Center—a federal law enforcement database—to find and go after the most at-risk cases.
More than 50 children between the ages of 14 and 17 were initially identified as missing. Investigators with the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force then made inquiries into the whereabouts of each child before deploying teams of law enforcement officers and social services workers to recover them.
The searches stretched well beyond Riverside County, spanning San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles counties. Some children were located as far away as Northern California, Arizona, and Nevada.
Each child received victim advocacy services, medical attention when needed, and follow-up resources before being reunited with a legal guardian. Some of the children were identified as victims of crimes, including child sex trafficking and sexual assault.
"We will never stop fighting to protect California children and bring them home," Bonta said. "Finding missing children and bringing them home safely is some of the most important work we can do."
Community organizations also assisted, including Riverside County Children and Family Services, REACH, Rebirth Homes, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Free International, according to the sheriff's office.
On average, between 5,000 and 6,000 children run away or go missing in Riverside County each year, with the majority returning home shortly after leaving, the sheriff's office said.
The California Department of Justice operates three human trafficking task forces statewide —in Sacramento, Fresno, and San Diego County—dedicated to combating the exploitation of individuals for sex or labor through force, fraud, or coercion.