JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the completion of a two week law enforcement operation targeting child predators across the state.
Operation Muddy Waters ran from July 20 to July 31, 2026. Officers arrested 13 individuals on charges related to child exploitation. Law enforcement also arrested 48 absconders for failing to comply with sex offender registry requirements. All individuals arrested are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
During the operation, officers seized more than 50 devices and served more than 8 search warrants. Agencies also secured 3 immigration detainers. Investigators rescued one child victim from an active sextortion scheme during the operation.
Fitch said the arrest numbers reflect the strength of the multi agency partnership behind the operation. She said the rescued child represents the most important outcome of the two weeks of work.
U.S. Attorney Scott Leary, who oversees the Northern District of Mississippi, said his office remains committed to pursuing anyone who exploits children. He thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, and the police departments and sheriff’s offices that took part.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger, who oversees the Southern District, said anyone who exploits or traffics children will face every lawful tool available to identify, arrest, and prosecute them.
Matthew Reidell, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Gulfport, said the operation shows the agency’s commitment to protecting children and holding offenders accountable. He said HSI will continue working with federal, state, and local partners to bring these crimes to light.
The operation also included a compliance check to locate sex offenders who failed to keep their registry information current.
More than a dozen agencies participated, including the Biloxi Police Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and departments and sheriff’s offices in DeSoto, Forrest, Jackson, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Montgomery, Pearl River, and Stone counties, along with the Bay St. Louis, Leland, Oxford, and Wiggins police departments and U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office hosts the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force includes nearly 90 law enforcement agencies and 145 personnel working to address online threats to children across Mississippi. It provides technical assistance, forensic analysis of digital evidence, and expert testimony in criminal cases, and it trains law enforcement on investigative standards for these cases.
