43 missing children rescued in Northern Lights operation in North Florida
Two-week sting across 14 counties leads to nine arrests; youngest victims about 18 months old
A two-week operation in North Florida led to the rescue of 43 missing children who were being exploited by sex traffickers, authorities announced Thursday. Dubbed Operation Northern Lights, the effort involved federal, state and local agencies and resulted in nine arrests on charges that could include human trafficking, child endangerment and custodial interference. The youngest victims were reported to be about 18 months old, and investigators said one child abducted from Florida was recovered in Louisiana. The operation also uncovered additional missing children in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Officials emphasized the scope, with more than 80 workers from 25 agencies collaborating across law enforcement, social services, attorney offices and nonprofit groups. The Marshals Service said 43 missing children were located in 14 Florida counties, with additional recoveries in other states. Among those recovered were an 18-month-old from Leon County found in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; an 18-month-old from Okaloosa County found outside Jackson, Mississippi, alongside a 17-year-old; a 17-year-old from Suwannee County recovered in Meadville, Mississippi; a 13-year-old from Suwannee found in Jacksonville; and a 15-year-old from Okaloosa found in Ocala.
Leljedal said the mission was not only about finding the children, but also providing medical resources, food, social services and child advocates to help the youths begin the path to healing. "This was the most successful missing child operation ever conducted in Northern Florida," he said, adding that the effort combined search and rescue with immediate care for the victims.
Federal officials said the sting involved more than 80 workers from 25 agencies and that the operation had to be coordinated across multiple jurisdictions, with some children located outside Florida in neighboring states.
Nicholas G. Ingegno, Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge, said each recovery represents a child removed from harm and connected with resources that can help prevent future victimization.
Authorities said the operation was carried out under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which allows the U.S. Marshals Service to assist other law enforcement agencies in missing child cases. Nearly 4,000 missing children have been found since then, marking a 66 percent hit rate, per the agency.
The list of sheriff’s offices involved included Leon, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Jackson, Wakulla, Madison, Taylor, Suwannee, Alachua and Marion counties. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Office chief deputy Randy Tifft noted that some children had been taken by older adults.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pledged to bring the strongest charges possible against those who put these kids in harm’s way, saying they are often coerced online and face trouble at home. He thanked the U.S. Marshals and partner agencies for the operation.
Other law-enforcement agencies contributing to the search included the Tallahassee Police Department, Pensacola Police Department and Crestview Police Department. At the state level, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, Department of Law Enforcement, Highway Patrol, Department of Children and Families and Department of Juvenile Justice were thanked for their work. Homeland Security Investigations also participated on the federal level. The U.S. Marshals Service credited the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Called2Rescue and Shadows of Strength as advocacy groups that aided the sting. Sheriff Walt McNeil said the operation showed that a strong partnership among agencies can protect vulnerable children.
The mission was lauded by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in a post on X, in which he said the office was honored to partner with U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal to rescue 43 missing children, some as young as 18 months old, and that authorities would pursue the strongest possible charges against those who put them at risk.