U.S. Marshals Find 60 'Critically Missing' Youth in Florida in 'Most Successful' Child Recovery Operation of Service's History

U.S. Marshals in Florida, partnered with multiple federal, state and local government agencies, conducted a missing child operation that led to the "recovery or safe location" of 60 missing children in what the Service called the most successful missing child recovery operation in USMS history.

Operation Dragon Eye was a two-week initiative with the purpose of locating dozens of the "critically missing" youth across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties, USMS said.

The USMS defines "critically missing" children as those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence. Recovered children were provided with medical resources, nourishment, social services and child advocates.

"This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities," officials said in their announcement of the results of the operation. "Dragon Eye resulted in eight arrests, including charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference."

Authorities said the operation was the product of a "multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations."

The recovered children ranged from 9 to 17-years old. Of the 60 victims, 69% had originally gone missing from their communities and 31% from foster homes. Overall, there were 17 boys and 43 girls, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

In the last decade since the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015— which aimed to strengthen the U.S. response to human trafficking through state-level programs, specialized training professionals and amendments to existing laws— passed, the USMS has located or recovered more than 3,967 missing children.

Officials working in Operation Dragon Eye were barely able to contain their pride over the operation's success, saying the initiative was not only able to recover the dozens of missing children, but also provide them with necessary resources to recover from their traumas.

"I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States," said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida.

"The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized," he added.