Deputies raided an Iowa church and removed 88 children participating in a Bible study camp as part of a sweeping human trafficking investigation, police said Monday.
The youngsters are now in protective custody of local agencies after they were taken from the Shekinah Glory Camp run by Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation, according to police and local reports.
Deputies executing search warrants removed the children over the weekend and took them to nearby Wapello Methodist Church to meet with child protection workers, deputies told KWQC.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services placed the children in temporary foster care until they could be reunited with their parents or guardians, deputies added.
The Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation, founded in 2018, was hosting the summer camp from June 8 to 29.
The family behind the ministry that runs the camp in Columbus Junction denied the allegations, according to WQAD8.
Hellbound and Down 