43 missing children rescued in Florida sex-trafficking sting

In a two-week operation named Operation Northern Lights, federal, state and local authorities rescued 43 missing children across 14 North Florida counties after a nationwide effort to disrupt sex trafficking. The sting involved more than 80 workers from 25 agencies and extended into Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, authorities said. Nine people were arrested, and officials said the operation took two weeks to carry out. The mission was carried out under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which allows the U.S. Marshals Service to assist other agencies in missing child cases.

The youngest victims were reported to be one year old. Among the cases, a Leon County child was recovered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a one-year-old from Okaloosa County was found outside Jackson, Mississippi, along with a 17-year-old. Other recovered youths included a 17-year-old from Suwannee County found in Meadville, Mississippi; a 13-year-old from Suwannee County located in Jacksonville; and a 15-year-old from Okaloosa County recovered in Ocala. The operation also led to additional missing-child cases in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Officials noted the rescue was part of a coordinated effort among multiple sheriff's offices and federal agencies, with participation from Tallahassee, Pensacola and Crestview police departments, the Florida Attorney General's Office, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Highway Patrol, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and Homeland Security Investigations.

The operation involved more than 80 workers from 25 agencies, and authorities said it marked a sizable collaboration across local, state and federal partners.

U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal called the operation the most successful missing-child operation ever conducted in Northern Florida and said the effort combined locating children with providing immediate medical care, food and social services to support healing.

Derrick Driscoll of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said each recovery represents a child removed from harm and connected with resources to help prevent future victimization.

The rescue was conducted under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which has enabled the U.S. Marshals Service to assist other agencies in missing-child cases and has yielded thousands of recoveries nationwide. The U.S. Marshals Service has said nearly 4,000 missing children have been found since the act passed, a 66 percent hit rate.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pledged to pursue strong charges against those who exploit children, noting that predators coerce youngsters on online apps to meet up with them and that many cases involve youths facing school and home-related troubles.

Sheriff Walt McNeil praised the multiagency partnership behind the operation, saying no child would be left behind.