Florida's Largest Child Recovery Operation

163 missing children have been found during a Florida-led

operation that is now being called one of the largest child recovery efforts in

United States history. The 163 children range from two

months old to 17 years old. Officials reported

46 recoveries through the Tampa Bay region, 41 through Miami,

32 through Jacksonville, 21 through Orlando, 12

through Fort Myers, eight through Pensacola, and three through

Tallahassee. Although this operation was organized and led in Florida,

some cases took investigators beyond the state.

FDLE says that the operation also resulted in children being located or

recovered in six additional states, Puerto Rico, and 12

other countries. Children were all missing under very different

circumstances, so

officials said that some were runaways while other cases involved

custody

disputes, unsafe foster care situations, abandonment,

neglect, abuse, or suspected human trafficking.