Marshals Launch First-Ever Missing Child Task Force

BOSTON, Mass. — The U.S. Marshals Service in Massachusetts, working with the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department, announced the creation of the Massachusetts Missing Child Task Force, the first official missing child task force in the history of the Marshals Service, the agency announced on November 6, 2026.

Read the U.S. Marshals Service release: https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/us-marshals-service-massachusetts-establishes-first-official-missing-child-task

The Task Force, The Partners, The Mission

The task force brings together specialized federal, state and local law enforcement resources to identify, locate and safely recover at-risk and endangered missing children throughout Massachusetts, the release stated.

It will initially be staffed by personnel from the Marshals Service, the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department, combining investigative expertise, intelligence resources and operational capabilities in a sustained, coordinated effort, the release stated.

The task force will focus on children at heightened risk of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, violence, abuse and other serious forms of victimization, the release stated.

Yellow Card, 48 Children, The World Cup

The creation of the task force follows Operation Yellow Card, a Marshals-led multi-agency initiative conducted in connection with the 2026 FIFA World Cup that located and safely recovered 48 critically endangered missing children from Massachusetts, the release stated.

In 2026 alone, the District of Massachusetts has located and recovered 50 missing children, with about 74 percent located or recovered within seven days of the district's involvement, the release stated.

Since 2020, the district has located and recovered 121 missing children, with about 72 percent located or recovered within seven days, the release stated.

Since the passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, the Marshals Service has contributed to the location and recovery of more than 5,500 missing children nationwide, the release stated.

The task force builds on the agency's Missing Child Program and the authorities provided under 28 U.S.C. § 566 and the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, the release stated.

"Today, we are making history in Massachusetts," said Dennis Matulewicz, head of the United States Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts. "The creation of this task force demonstrates that our mission does not end with the success of one operation."

"Protecting those most vulnerable to exploitation is among our most important responsibilities and top priorities. The establishment of this first-of-its-kind task force strengthens our ability to fulfill this mission by bringing together the resources, expertise, and commitment of the Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, and Boston Police Department," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

, The Numbers, The Tip Line

The task force will provide a dedicated, sustained response to missing child cases throughout Massachusetts, building on the success of previous recovery operations, the release stated.

As the federal government's primary agency for fugitive investigations, the Marshals Service apprehended more than 73,000 fugitives nationwide in 2025, averaging nearly 300 arrests per operational day, the release stated. The task force will apply the same investigative techniques, intelligence capabilities and law enforcement partnerships to locating missing children, the release stated.

Anyone with information about missing or exploited children should contact local law enforcement or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST), the release stated.

Sources

U.S. Marshals Service, "U.S. Marshals Service in Massachusetts Establishes First Official Missing Child Task Force in Agency History," November 6, 2026: https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/us-marshals-service-massachusetts-establishes-first-official-missing-child-task