60 Missing Children Rescued In FL Operation

TAMPA BAY, FL — Law enforcement officials said that 60 “critically missing” children were rescued across the Tampa Bay area this month, according to a U.S. Marshals Service news release.

The children found safe during the two-week-long Operation Dragon Eye were from Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

There were also eight arrests, including charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.

The initiative was led by a multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, non-governmental organizations, the U.S. Marshals said.

It “has been deemed the most successful missing child operation in USMS history,” the agency said.

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In addition to recovering the missing youth, who were at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence, the initiative’s partners helped in other ways.

They provided the children with essential services “including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities,” the agency said.

"I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States," William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, said. "The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.”

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