Operation Home for the Holidays has resulted in the recovery of 122 missing children, Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier announced this week.
Uthmeier described the operation, which involved the FBI, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and nearly a dozen sheriff’s offices, as “one of the largest child-recovery operations in American history” and included the Tampa Bay area — where 57 children were rescued — as well as Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, and nine other states. According to reports, 22 children were rescued in Jacksonville, 14 in Orlando, and 29 in Fort Myers.
“Thanks to one of the single largest child-rescue operations in U.S. history, 122 missing children are safe,” Uthmeier announced. “This operation highlights the strength and diligence of Florida’s Law Enforcement. I am deeply grateful for everyone that made Operation Home for the Holidays a massive success.”
The age of the missing children ranged from as young as 23 months to 17 years old. Per the press release, the operation resulted in “six felony arrests, with additional charges expected as investigations continue.” It added that the children recovered “experienced various levels of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or exposure to other criminal activity.”
United States Marshal for the Middle District of Florida Bill Berger said of the operation, “The United States Marshals Service is proud to stand with our partners across the state of Florida in pursuit of the safety and welfare of our children.”
“This operation was built based upon the wants and needs of our communities,” he added. “We are honored to play a leading role in answering those calls.”
“I’ll conclude before turning it over, by saying, by now, you should know if you come into Florida and you want to lay a finger on our kids, if you want to prey upon them, if you want to groom them, if you want to abuse them, everybody up here is coming for you with everything we’ve got,” Uthmeier warned.
“We’re going to lock you up for as long as possible, and we’re eligible for child sex battery. We will indeed seek the death penalty, so child predators stay out of Florida. You are not welcome here. If you come here, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
This recovery operation follows the recovery of 60 “critically missing” children in the Tampa Bay area in what leaders called Operation Dragon Eye over the summer.