Missing Florida kids among 122 rescued during Operation Home for the Holidays

TAMPA, Fla. - A multi-regional operation involving several federal, state and local agencies led to the rescue of 122 missing or endangered children from Florida and nine other states.  

By the numbers:

Operation Home for the Holidays was a two-week operation across Central Florida that used real-time intelligence and field operations to locate missing children and led to the rescue of 57 missing children in Tampa, 14 from Orlando, 22 from Jacksonville and 29 from Fort Myers. Thirteen children were rescued from other states and internationally. 

The children rescued ranged in age from 23 months to 17 years old. 

Law enforcement officials say many had experienced various levels of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or exposure to other criminal activity. 

The backstory:

In July, law enforcement officials announced the single largest child rescue operation in the history of the U.S. Marshal’s Services, in which 60 kids were rescued during Operation Dragon Eye.

READ: Operation Dragon Eye: Inside the search for the Tampa Bay area's missing kids

"Protecting our kids. Keeping them safe. Preventing them from being extorted is what it is all about. That’s why we go to work everyday. It’s why we do what we do. There is no greater calling when it comes to law enforcement."

Dig deeper:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said medical care and rehabilitation were ready for the kids when they were rescued. 

"Many have been through the unthinkable. They’ve been trafficked. They’ve been exploited. They’ve been abused. They need our help now more than ever," Uthmeier stated. 

"We will continue to get them that help and find them homes where they are loved, where they are protected, where they will be empowered to lead successful lives and we will get them on the road to recovery," Uthmeier added.

READ: Where is Gabrielle Terrelonge? Missing Florida girl was last in Orlando with mom in June, officials say

The agencies involved in Operation Home for the Holidays said the following victims were able to get care and have opportunities that were previously unavailable to them:

• A young pregnant female received pre-natal care for the first time
• Two brothers were provided initial care for substance dependency and are being evaluated for treatment options
• A toddler was safely located in Mexico; U.S. and Mexican authorities are coordinating a care plan that best suits the interest of the child
• A young woman who identified safety concerns to child welfare officers was voluntarily relocated and placed in a secure home
• A young man with a significant juvenile justice history was for the first time provided with services pertaining to his alleged abuse

Operation Home for the Holidays Arrests

Six people were arrested on felony charges such as child neglect, custodial interference, narcotics possession, sexual assault, terroristic threats, and endangerment due to Operation Home for the Holidays. 

What they're saying:

"What allows our Middle Florida-based child recovery initiatives to stand out is the emphasis placed on what happens after," stated Bill Berger, United States Marshal - Middle District of Florida.  We know these children will have needs once we find them.  It only makes sense to build these operations alongside like-minded partners from across the child welfare space."

READ: Missing Tampa toddler who vanished with family dog found by resident who lives nearby

He added, "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. We are honored to play a leading role in answering those calls.  Welcome Home and Happy Holidays!"

What's next:

Several other criminal investigations predicated upon Operation Home for the Holidays are pending.  Additional felony arrests are anticipated.

"By now you should know if you come into Florida and you lay a finger on our kids, if you want to prey upon them, if you want to groom them to abuse them, everybody up here is coming for you with everything we’ve got," Uthmeier vowed. "We’re going to lock you up for as long as possible and where eligible for child sex battery, we will indeed seek the death penalty. Child predators – stay out of Florida. You are not welcome here."

The effort to help the 122 rescued children get their lives back is already underway.

They're going to need extensive services to get them into safe facilities, and also the proper care to deal with the traumas they have suffered.

Stephanie Turner is a survivor of human trafficking and is now a mentor for the Children's Home Network, which brings rescued children to their campus.

"The first thing they need is a safe space," she said. "Some of them don't want the help because, unfortunately, that was a life that they're either used to or they're so trauma-bonded with their traffickers that they are so scared of anyone else," said Turner.

Tiany Lewis places youngsters in foster homes and says once a child is with a foster family, or is sent back to a biological family member, the key is identifying and providing the type of support they need.

It could be therapy, help for substance or sex abuse, or extra help with school.

"We want to find them a place where they can learn that there is another way," said Lewis. "There is better way to cope with some of those things and a soft place for them to land."

Identifying the right potential homes for each child based on age and risk factors is a key challenge, given kids who are used to being on their own often feel like they're being forced to stay somewhere.

"Human traffickers tell them what safety is, tell them what love is," said Tyra Martin-Greene, a placement specialist with CHN. "And those are the wrong definitions of love and safety."

She says listening to them is important, but observing them is even more so.

"Their body language, eye contact with the caregiver that we're trying to match them with, just to see what they're thinking kind of behind their eyes."

By the time they make it to a place that feels more like school, the hope is they're again ready to be children.

"I just try my best to remain a present person in their life," said Turner, "to remain non-judgmental, and just to remain in their corner for them."