U.S. Marshals have declared that a multi-agency operation in Florida reportedly recovered 60 “critically missing” children.
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More About The Operation In Florida That Recovered 60 “Critically Missing” Kids
According to Fox 13 Tampa Bay, federal, state, and local agencies partnered to recover 60 “critically missing” kids in the Tampa area. The operation, titled “Operation Dragon Eye,” reportedly focused on finding kids between the ages of 9 and 17 over a two-week period. Per the U.S. Marshals, “critically missing” kids are defined as “those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence.”
“This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities,” officials explained, per ABC News.
Among those recovered in the operation were “several young girls who were pregnant.” Furthermore, the outlet notes that one of the girls was “carrying the child of her trafficker.”
More Information From The U.S. Marshals
Per the outlet, the operation also led to the arrest of eight suspects. The group is reportedly facing charges of “human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession, and custodial interference.”
“It took a lot of people to get this done. What makes Florida the ‘rule of law state’ is we’re great at working together in collaboration across agency lines,” Attorney General James Uthmeier reportedly said at a recent press conference, referring to the multiple police departments, medical, and mental health agencies that participated in the operation.
U.S. Marshals are now referring to the operation as the “most successful missing child recovery operation in American history,” per Fox 13 Tampa Bay. Nonetheless, officials also noted the progress that remains to be made in the prevention of child trafficking.
“Sixty kids saved. That number sends the message that Florida will never be a safe place for traffickers. At [the Florida Department of Law Enforcement], we will continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. And to any family still missing their child, we will never stop searching until we make sure they are brought home safely,” Commissioner Mark Glass reportedly stated.
Texas Police Were Searching For A Missing Child In May
Before the search for the “critically missing” kids in Florida, police in Texas launched a search for a 9-year-old child. As The Shade Room previously reported, in April, police discovered a 7-year-old child locked in a closet in a residence. After the 7-year-old was taken to the hospital, authorities realized the child’s older sister, Ava Gonzales, had last been seen in December 2017. Additionally, it was discovered that the child was never reported missing.
Ultimately, authorities arrested the girls’ mother, Virginia Gonzales. Additionally, authorities shared an age-progressed photo of Ava to aid in the search for her recovery.
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