Overview
- Operation Home for the Holidays located or safely recovered 122 missing or endangered children across Tampa Bay (57), Orlando (14), Jacksonville (22) and Fort Myers (29) over two weeks.
- Authorities reported six felony arrests tied to the effort and said additional arrests and charges are expected as investigations continue.
- The children ranged in age from 23 months to 17 years, and officials said many had suffered abuse, neglect, exploitation or exposure to criminal activity.
- The U.S. Marshals-led, multiagency task force operated across Florida and into nine other states, with recoveries also reported in Mexico and Guatemala.
- Teams coupled recoveries with immediate services including medical evaluations, advocacy, juvenile-welfare coordination and placement, building on tactics from this year’s Operation Dragon Eye.