GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.– The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office recently announced that its T.R.A.C.E. Unit (Trafficking and Child Exploitation) successfully recovered three missing children and arrested a man accused of attempting to meet a child for sexual purposes. This operation comes amid growing concerns over the increasing number of missing children in the area.
Austin Godfrey, Assistant Chief of Field Operations, highlighted that the unit is dedicated to protecting vulnerable children, including the three recovered during an operation near Oakbrook Parkway in Norcross. “We know they are part of some of our most vulnerable populations,” he explained. While no arrests were made directly from the recovery, authorities are investigating potential trafficking involvement and anticipate future arrests if sufficient evidence is uncovered. “If we can determine that a trafficker is involved, absolutely,” Godfrey assured.
In August, Gwinnett County Police reported searching for over 20 missing teens, raising alarms about the dangers these children face while missing. Godfrey noted that predators often exploit vulnerable children, leveraging their need for basic survival resources. “When a child is missing, what are they using for currency? Where do they sleep? How do they eat? It becomes about survival, and there are people who want to exploit that,” he stated.
The T.R.A.C.E. Unit operates undercover, both online and on the streets, to apprehend traffickers and predators. Recent operations led to the arrest of two men soliciting sex from minors. In one case, a 42-year-old man was caught after attempting to arrange a meeting for sexual activity with someone he believed to be a child. “We had another one yesterday—a 42-year-old male who thought he was speaking with a child, discussing sexual acts, and arranged to meet up. When he did, he was arrested,” Godfrey said.
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