Rescue operation recovers 21 missing young people in Lee, Collier and Hendry counties
A massive rescue operation involving dozens of local, state, and federal agencies and community organizations, led to the rescue of 21 young people who were considered missing and endangered in Lee County, Collier County, and Hendry County.
The three-day operation, led by the National Child Protection Force, rescued young people ranging from young teenagers up to 21 years of age, according to officials who spoke on the operation Friday during a press conference at the Hilton Embassy Suites in Estero.
The rescued included runaways, and at least one teenager who reported being sexually trafficked. Officials said they are still conducting investigations and interviewing those who were rescued to determine if there will be criminal charges filed against anyone who may have broken any laws in dealing with the rescued young people.
There was no immediate announcement of any arrests. The individuals were located at homes, and in some cases, businesses. Police agencies from as far away as Arkansas and Indiana were involved in the operation.
The 21 people rescued were mainly from Lee County, Collier County, and Hendry County, or who otherwise had ties to the area. Nearly all of the individuals located were found in those three counties. One individual was located in Hillsborough County. One other person being sought is believed to be in another country, according to law enforcement.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Wade Williams, who helps lead the Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, said in some cases “this is just the beginning of the investigation” into those who were rescued.
Williams said most of those rescued were teenagers.
He said “missing children are usually running from something or someone. It makes them vulnerable.” Williams said missing children are more at risk of becoming exploited or trafficking victims. He said one in seven children who go missing become sex trafficking victims and that child exploitation crimes have increased in the past decade.
Those who were rescued will either be returned to their homes, or placed in care with other family members if their home is not determined to be safe. They could also be put into group homes.
“The most important thing is that they are safe,” said Katherine Gomez, Human Trafficking Intervention Director with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Gomez said half of rescued children have had contact with the criminal justice system.
“No one agency can do this alone,” Gomez said. Gomez said there are still missing young people being sought.
“Each of these youth have a different background, but they all share one thing: vulnerability. Youth who are missing, have run away or are involved in an unstable or unsupportive living situation are at a higher risk for trafficking,” Gomez said. “When a child must rely on others for their basic needs to be met, they can be exploited in devastating ways by those that mean them harm.”
Jackie Stephens, CEO of Collier Children’s Advocacy Center, said the agency has been involved in assessing the individual needs of each child rescued in the county. Stephens said they were assisted by Beverly’s Angels, a Naples-based group who provided clothes, shoes and snacks to the rescued Collier County individuals.
Alicia Shannon, CEO of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida, said 11 children were brought to their center in Fort Myers after being rescued. They were given clothes and food. One boy showed up with no shoes, and a young teenage girl was in ripped clothes, she said
“I would like to think every one of them is a little bit more safer and a little bit more rested,” Shannon said. She said she hopes the rescued youth will be able to heal better now.
The rescued young people were able to stay at the center for up to a day before finding new, safe places to go.
“Our goal is to be that safe space for the kid,” Shannon said. “We get them food, and provide them showers. We make sure they know that somebody cares about them.”
Shannon said the rescued who reported to her center ranged from young teenagers to a 21-year-old.
“Some of them are happy to be found and that looking for a place to live is over,” Shannon said. “A lot of them were bouncing around from home to home. A lot of them are in abusive situations.”
The center provides human traffic counseling and will refer some matters to the criminal justice system if a crime is reported to them. The center speaks with the individuals to learn more about their situations.
Not all are happy to be found though, she said. Not everyone is willing to talk about their situations either.
Some of the individuals who were rescued have been involved in the criminal justice system.
“It’s easy to be labeled as ‘bad kids,'” Shannon said. Some of those who have gone through the criminal justice system have been through abusive situations.
Shannon said her message to the community regarding children, is that “if something seems off, then it probably is. If you suspect something, don’t be afraid to call the hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.”
Al Rollins, Director of Law Enforcement Partnerships for the National Child Protection Task Force, said the agencies used “cutting edge technology and a network of special professionals” to recover the missing children.
Rollins said the rescued youth included those who had run away from their home, or from placement services. That can mean running away from group homes or foster care.
Rollins said that runaways are sometimes “overlooked.” Missing children “don’t have the means to take care of themselves,” he said.
Rollins said more than 40 law enforcement and social service agencies worked together to locate the endangered children.
Much of the discussion on Friday by those speaking about the rescue operation was on how to protect and better nurture young people from going missing and becoming endangered again in the future.
Rollins said “We empower communities to build sustainable solutions that improve long-term outcomes for vulnerable children, provide them with safe housing, career and education services, counseling, medical care and community support. This approach matters because the best outcome isn’t just bringing the child home, it is moving them from survival to thriving.”
Williams said “the whole goal is to find a better outcome” for the children involved. Many times the cause of the missing children can be a situation at home, he said. “We need to address the core issues.”
Parents concerned about their children should look for signs such as withdrawing from school and should be cognizant of their social media behaviors,” Williams said.
Williams also said on Friday that his task force has shut down numerous massage parlor businesses in Collier County since 2024 when he helped write a new law that makes many of the parlors harder to operate. He said some have been found to be places where women are trafficked.
Law enforcement agencies who took part were the Cape Coral Police Department; Collier County Sheriff’s Office; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Florida Department of Juvenile Justice; Florida Highway Patrol; Fort Myers Police Department; Hendry County Sheriff’s Office; Indiana State Police; Lee County Port Authority Police Department; Lee County Sheriff’s Office; Marco Island Police Department; Naples Police Department; Northeast and Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force; Office of the State Attorney 20th Judicial Circuit; and Springdale Police Department (Arkansas).
Also assisting in the investigation and response were, BRIGHT, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; PRR Group, and United States Marshal Service.
Community-based organizations, hospitals and victim assistance programs: A.N.A.’s Friends; Beverly’s Angels; Block, Inc.; Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice; Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida; Children’s Network of Southwest Florida; Collier Children’s Advocacy Center; Collier County Children’s Protection Team; CPE Mental Health Services; Florida Department of Children and Families; Golisano Children’s Hospital; Greater Hope Church; Lutheran Services Florida; My Name My Voice; Oasis Youth Shelter; One More Child; and Youth Haven.
Local nonprofit partners A.N.A.’s Friends and Beverly’s Angels provided essential support for children and families impacted by the operation. Together, they helped ensure that vulnerable youth had access to clothing, hygiene supplies, comfort items and other critical resources designed to meet immediate needs and support stability after recovery.
Verizon Frontline deployed solutions enabling the establishment of a secure Wi-Fi network for the operation’s command center, providing mission-critical communications capabilities. Verizon Frontline also sponsors Missing Child Rescue Operations nationwide, supporting NCPTF’s ability to deliver coordinated, technology-driven assistance to law enforcement agencies.
The National Child Protection Task Force is a nonprofit organization focused on creating better outcomes for missing, exploited and trafficked children. By bringing together experienced investigators, analysts and private-sector partners, NCPTF provides intelligence, advanced technology and coordinated investigative support to help law enforcement locate endangered children.
The organization helps agencies understand why a child ran, identify patterns of risk and strengthen coordination so vulnerable children have better opportunities for stability and safety.
Missing Child Rescue Operations are supported nationally by the Tim Tebow Foundation, The Jensen Project, and Answer the Call, with additional financial support from Snap Inc., Verizon, Block, Inc. and Penlink. NCPTF’s private-sector partners including Meta, Snap Inc., TikTok, Google, Block, Inc., and Verizon, expedited critical support requests to help law enforcement locate endangered children urgently.
The NCPTF is also equipped with advanced investigative technology provided by partners including Clearview AI, DarkOwl, District 4 Labs, Elephantastic, Epieos, Flashpoint, Fog Data Science, GeoComply API, HYAS, Kaseware, Kasm, Marinus Analytics, OSINT Combine, OSINT Industries, Penlink, Pipl, Predicta Lab, Skopenow, SpyCloud, and Telemetry. These tools are leveraged during Missing Child Rescue Operations and to support law enforcement agencies across the country year-round in time-sensitive, child-focused investigations.
Dozens of partners joined NCPTF in making this local mission possible, including A.N.A.’s Friends, Beverly’s Angels, Block, Inc., BRIGHT, Cape Coral Police Department, Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice, Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida, Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, Collier Children’s Advocacy Center, Collier County Children’s Protection Team, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, CPE Mental Health Services, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Florida Highway Patrol, Fort Myers Police Department, Golisano Children’s Hospital, Google, Greater Hope Church, Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Indiana State Police, Lee County Port Authority Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lutheran Services Florida, Marco Island Police Department, Meta, My Name My Voice, Naples Police Department, Northeast and Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, Oasis Youth Shelter, Office of the State Attorney 20th Judicial Circuit, One More Child, Operation Light Shine, Snap Inc., Penlink, PRR Group, Springdale Police Department, The Jensen Project, TikTok, Tim Tebow Foundation, U.S. Marshals Service, Verizon and Youth Haven.
“Children who are listened to, believed and educated for have better long-term outcomes,” Rollins said.