The United States Marshals Service announced Monday that a task force made up of federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners located more than 100 missing or endangered children in Central Florida and beyond.
In two weeks, 122 vulnerable youth were found belonging to: Tampa Bay (57), Orlando (14), Jacksonville (22), and Fort Myers (29).
The children were found across Florida and in nine other states, and ranged in age from 23 months to 17 years old.
A USMS news release said the Operation Home for the Holidays initiative was built upon best practices and lessons learned from Operation Dragon Eye earlier this year.
That initiative resulted in the recovery or safe location of 60 missing children from across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties.
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Services provided by Operation Home for the Holidays included medical care, youth advocacy, juvenile justice coordination, foster care, and child placement.
Of the recovered youth, a significant portion were recipients of specific child welfare services from the Department of Children and Families, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Health Care Services.
"What allows our Middle Florida-based child recovery initiatives to stand out is the emphasis placed on what happens after. We know these children will have needs once we find them. It only makes sense to build these operations alongside like-minded partners from across the child welfare space,” said Bill Berger, United States Marshal - Middle District of Florida.
Operation Home for the Holidays also provided care and opportunities for children previously unavailable to them: A pregnant girl received pre-natal care for the first time; two brothers were provided initial care for substance dependency and are being evaluated for treatment options; a toddler was safely located in Mexico and U.S. and Mexican authorities are coordinating a care plan; a boy with a significant juvenile justice history was provided with services pertaining to his alleged abuse, etc.
Allegations of abuse and criminal activity from the children, in conjunction with information developed by the task force, led to six felony arrests ranging from child neglect, custodial interference, narcotics possession, sexual assault, terroristic threats, and endangerment.
Several other criminal investigations are pending. Additional felony arrests are anticipated.
