The five-day Operation Statewide Shield reached beyond Florida and connected recovered children with medical, welfare and victim services.
TAMPA, FL — Florida authorities recovered 163 missing children ranging from 2 months to 17 years old during a five-day statewide operation that extended across the United States and overseas, state officials announced Tuesday.
Operation Statewide Shield marked Florida’s first state-led statewide child recovery initiative and one of the largest efforts of its kind in the state, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Attorney General James Uthmeier. Authorities said three men were arrested during the operation, while other investigations remain open. The recovered children were taken to designated locations where social workers, medical providers, child welfare specialists and victim advocates could assess their needs and determine where they would go next.
The operation was organized around regional teams working in Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Miami. Authorities said the Tampa Bay region accounted for 46 recoveries, the largest regional total. Miami teams recovered 41 children, Jacksonville teams recovered 32, Orlando teams recovered 21, Fort Myers teams recovered 12, Pensacola teams recovered eight and Tallahassee teams recovered three. Investigators used real-time intelligence and field operations to locate children whose missing-person cases had already brought them to the attention of law enforcement. Uthmeier said many of the children had faced abuse, neglect, exploitation or exposure to other criminal activity. “Many of these kids have been victimized by those who prey on the most vulnerable,” Uthmeier said while announcing the results in Tampa. Officials said the goal was not only to find the children but also to place services close to the recovery teams so help could begin immediately.
The search did not stop at Florida’s borders. Officials said children connected to the operation were located in six other states, Puerto Rico and 12 countries. U.S. locations identified by the attorney general’s office included Alabama, California, Ohio, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee. International recoveries involved Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain and Taiwan. Authorities did not release identifying details about the children or explain the circumstances of each missing-person case, citing the sensitive nature of the cases. They also did not say how many recoveries involved suspected trafficking compared with family custody disputes, runaways, abuse cases or other circumstances. Some children were reunited with relatives, while others entered foster care, according to information released after the operation. The Department of Children and Families and Department of Juvenile Justice helped manage custody transfers when authorities determined a child could not immediately return home.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said the operation depended on cooperation among law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, social-service organizations, health providers and nonprofit groups. “Operation Statewide Shield demonstrates the power of collaboration and the unwavering commitment shared by all participating agencies and organizations,” Glass said. FDLE led the operation with Special Counsel for Human Trafficking Rita Peters serving as a legal adviser. The Office of Statewide Prosecution, Department of Children and Families, Department of Juvenile Justice, BayCare, More to Life and the Florida Human Trafficking Victims Fund also helped plan or carry out the effort. Thirteen sheriff’s offices provided assistance, including agencies serving Manatee, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Clay, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Flagler, Orange, Escambia, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas. Municipal departments and federal partners also participated. Officials said the structure drew on lessons from earlier U.S. Marshals Service child-recovery operations.
Three arrests had been publicly tied to the operation as of Tuesday. Michael Prescott was arrested Aug. 21 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and accused of three counts of lewd and lascivious acts involving a minor, felony battery and aggravated assault. Authorities said Prescott also had an active warrant alleging interference with child custody. Robert Ferral Allison was arrested Aug. 20 by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and accused of lewd and lascivious battery involving a victim between 12 and 16 years old. Jayden Allen Harwood was arrested on allegations involving interference with child custody and resisting officers without violence. The allegations are criminal charges and do not establish guilt. Court outcomes for the three men were not announced with the operation’s results. Authorities also did not release a final count of possible future charges or identify additional suspects under investigation.
The arrests represent only one part of the cases generated or advanced by the operation. The Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office served as legal advisers and were taking on three felony cases produced by the initiative, FDLE said. Investigators said other cases remain active and additional arrests are expected, but they did not give a timetable. Uthmeier said investigators are continuing to examine people suspected of exploiting or abusing children and possible networks connected to individual recoveries. Authorities have not said that all 163 children were trafficking victims, and the circumstances varied from case to case. That distinction is important because missing-child investigations can involve many situations, including custody disputes, children who leave home, abuse, exploitation and criminal conduct by adults. Investigators have not publicly detailed which recovered children are connected to the three men who were arrested.
After each recovery, officers brought children who needed assistance to designated hubs rather than treating the operation only as a search effort. At those locations, teams could provide medical attention, social services, victim advocacy and child welfare support. Florida officials said recovery information was entered through the Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse so cases could be documented and closed when appropriate. Jonathan Stephens, an assistant secretary with the Department of Children and Families, said the operation showed what could happen when state agencies, local organizations and private groups combined their resources. Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Matt Walsh also credited the partnership among state agencies and local support organizations. For children unable to return to a parent or guardian, state agencies helped determine temporary custody and continuing care. Officials did not release details about individual placements because the recovered children are minors.
The operation adds to a series of Florida investigations focused on missing children, exploitation and human trafficking. FDLE said planners used experience from U.S. Marshals-led initiatives known as Operation Dragon Eye and Operation Home for the Holidays. Operation Statewide Shield expanded that approach into a coordinated state-led effort with teams operating at the same time across several Florida regions. Authorities described the five-day structure as a way to combine intelligence gathering, field searches, law enforcement contacts and child services in one coordinated period. The broad geographic reach also showed how a Florida missing-child case can lead investigators far outside the state. Officials said some children were found elsewhere in the country or overseas after investigators followed information connected to their Florida cases. Authorities have not released the exact number of officers, investigators, social workers or other personnel involved.
Officials said the immediate recovery phase has ended, but the cases created by the operation have not. Investigators must still review evidence, follow leads, work with prosecutors and determine whether additional criminal charges are supported. Prosecutors handling the three announced felony cases will move them through the court system, where defendants can contest the allegations. Authorities also expect to continue examining possible abuse and exploitation uncovered while children were being located. Uthmeier said Florida intends to keep pursuing people accused of harming children, while Glass said the operation showed the value of combining state, local and federal resources. No date was announced for another statewide recovery operation, and officials did not provide a schedule for releasing additional arrest information. The number of future arrests, if any, remains unknown.
For the agencies involved, officials said the 163 recoveries were the central measure of the five-day effort. Some children returned to family members, while others entered state-supervised care as their circumstances were reviewed. Support agencies remained responsible for continuing services after law enforcement completed the initial recovery process. Tracy Kaly, a director with BayCare, said community organizations worked alongside police to care for vulnerable young people. Officials emphasized that the children ranged from an infant only months old to teenagers nearing adulthood, creating different medical, safety and placement needs. Because officials withheld names and detailed case histories, the public announcement offered few details about the children’s experiences before they were found. Authorities said protecting their identities and continuing ongoing investigations limited what could be released.
As of Aug. 25, all 163 announced recoveries had been documented, three arrests had been reported and multiple related investigations remained open. Florida authorities said additional arrests could follow as investigators and prosecutors review evidence developed during Operation Statewide Shield.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.