Girl Missing Since She Was One Month Old Found 4 Years Later
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A girl who was reported missing as a one-month-old infant in 2021 has been found safe in a Chicago home, the U.S. Marshals Service told local news outlets.
Her biological mother, who had also been reported missing and had multiple outstanding warrants, was arrested following a police operation involving the U.S. Marshals Service, FOX 32 Chicago reported. The child, who is a ward of the state, was returned to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the outlet reported.
Officials have not identified the child or mother, according to the reports. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service for comment.
Why It Matters
Each year, hundreds of thousands of minors are reported missing across the U.S. The child's recovery years after her disappearance highlights the importance of interagency collaboration in missing persons cases.
Stock image: Blue and red police lights at a generic crime scene.
Stock image: Blue and red police lights at a generic crime scene.
Ajax9/Getty Images
Background of the Disappearance
The child was reported missing by the DCFS on November 5, 2021. At that time, the DCFS had custody of the girl. Both she and her biological mother were reported missing, ABC7 Chicago reported.
The child was believed to be with her mother, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Mother's Outstanding Warrants
The biological mother faced multiple outstanding warrants, according to the reports. She faced a warrant from the California Department of Corrections, a warrant for retail theft from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, a possession of stolen property warrant from Orange County, California, and a robbery warrant from the Signal Hill, California. The U.S. Marshals Service noted that only the California Department of Corrections warrant was extraditable, according to reporting from FOX 32 Chicago.
Investigation and Recovery
Law enforcement in Chicago requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service on January 1, 2025, to locate the child, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
The investigation led officials to possible locations in Chicago and Blue Island, Illinois. During surveillance at a Chicago residence, officers observed a girl believed to be about 4 or 5 years old peering out of a second-floor window, the outlet reported.
On June 3, officials continued surveillance and concluded that the girl closely resembled the age-progressed images of the missing child, according to the outlet.
Officers then forced entry into the home, recovered the child and placed her in protective custody.
The mother attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended because of her outstanding warrants, according to ABC7 Chicago.
National Missing Persons Statistics
In 2024, the FBI's National Crime Information Center reported over 533,000 missing person cases across the U.S. This includes nearly 350,000 cases of missing juveniles.
National Missing Children's Day, an annual observance to advocate for the safety and well-being of children, is observed each year on May 25.
What People Are Saying
Eileen M. Garry, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention acting administrator, in a statement about National Missing Children's Day: "Missing Children's Day commemoration is a reminder that child safety must be a shared priority. Because, ultimately, we all have a role to play—parents, guardians, caregivers, concerned citizens, law enforcement, and other professionals. Together we are responsible for safeguarding our nation's most valuable resource: its young people."
What Happens Next
The child has been placed back into the custody of DCFS. The mother has been booked into Cook County Jail on her outstanding warrants, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
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