News


Florida Missing Children’s Day remembers those who are missing and recognizes our heroes

 
For Immediate Release
September 9, 2024
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s missing children are the focus of today’s Florida Missing Children’s Day ceremony in Tallahassee. The annual event is held to remember Florida’s missing children, recognize the state’s efforts in child protection and educate Floridians on child safety and abduction prevention.
 
Florida’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse (MEPIC) opened within FDLE 41 years ago and was the first clearinghouse of its kind in the nation. Since its inception, MEPIC has been assisting law enforcement and citizens in finding missing persons. MEPIC provides analytical services and engages the public in the search for missing endangered children and missing endangered persons with resources like AMBER, Missing Child, Silver and Purple Alerts and a repository of flyers for missing persons.
 
Last year Florida law enforcement agencies entered more than 29,045 missing children into the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC).  Statewide, MEPIC issued 58 Missing Child Alerts and eight AMBER Alerts.  
 
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “As a mother, I cannot imagine the terror a parent feels when their child goes missing. Florida law enforcement works around the clock to find those who are lost, and on Missing Children’s Day, we stand in support of those who wear the badge and are diligently pursuing these cases. We must continue to pray that these children are reunited with their families and returned home safely.”
 
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said, "As a father of two, the thought of a missing child is gut wrenching and a nightmare no family should have to go through. The fight to protect Florida's children is a community wide effort to ensure every child is safe, cherished, and accounted for. On Missing Children's Day, my heart goes out to the families impacted by the loss of a child, and I am grateful for our dedicated law enforcement officials and state and local agencies working around the clock to bring Florida's missing children home."
 
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said, “On Florida Missing Children's Day, we come together to stand in solidarity with the families who endure the unimaginable pain of not knowing where their child is or if they are safe. I extend my deepest gratitude to our dedicated law enforcement officers, child advocates, and community members who work tirelessly, driven by hope, to bring our missing children back home where they belong. Each precious child is missing but not forgotten.”
 
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, “Today, as we commemorate Florida’s lost daughters and sons and pay tribute to the families who live with unthinkable agony, we also reaffirm our commitment that we will not ever stop searching for these precious missing children and we will never stop searching for justice.”    
 
During a formal ceremony, Commissioner Glass recognized citizens, canine trailing teams and law enforcement officers for their exemplary efforts in investigations protecting children.
 
The following individuals are recipients of the 2024 Florida Missing Children’s Day Awards:
 
Commissioner’s Award
Investigator Maribel Ojeda, Orlando Police Department
In December of 2023, the Florida Department of Children and Families notified Orlando Police Department of an allegation that parents had abandoned a premature infant at a local hospital and fled to Puerto Rico with their two other children. Ojeda’s investigation led to her locating the two children in poor conditions without food or clean clothing in Puerto Rico. Ojeda worked with four law enforcement agencies and three state child protective agencies to safely return the children to Florida and issue warrants for the parents. 
 
Evelyn Williams Memorial Award
Michaela Darty, Florida Department of Children and Families
In the past year Darty worked on two complex human trafficking operations, We Will Find You in May of 2023, and Seminole Saber in May of 2024, that together recovered more than 50 children. Working with local, state and federal agencies, Darty established recovery sites and directly supported law enforcement command centers. 
 
John and Revé Walsh Award
Kristin Morgan, Florida Department of Children and Families
Working with local, state, federal and out of state agencies, Morgan provides support on high risk missing children cases. She is a liaison with FDLE’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse and their advisory board. She contributes to locating and recovering children and assists in child transport services. Recently Morgan assisted in helping determine jurisdiction for three young children between multiple agencies and she also assisted in locating a child in another state who was safely returned to caregivers in Florida.
 
Local Law Enforcement Officers of the Year Award
Detectives Chase King and Henrik Östhed, Marion County Sheriff’s Office
In November of 2023, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a runaway child. Detectives King and Östhed’s investigation revealed that the child may not have run away but had possibly been kidnapped by an adult Tennessee man who had been communicating with and grooming the child on a gaming app. The detectives believed the child was in extreme danger. Within hours of receiving the case, Detectives King and Östhed identified, located and arrested the suspect in Tennessee and recovered the child unharmed. Additionally, the detectives continue to work other leads connected to this case and have uncovered a network of sexual abusers that prey on children throughout the United States and the world.   
 
State Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award
Trooper Trent Sistrunk, Florida Highway Patrol
In November of 2023, Trooper Sistrunk received a call about a 12-year-old child who had gone missing while traveling on a Greyhound bus. Sistrunk located the bus in Hamilton County and personally checked on each passenger, ultimately locating the child. The child was alone and unharmed, but Sistrunk learned the child had been a victim of crimes in Florida and other states.
 
Law Enforcement Task Force Team of the Year
Detectives Josh Dawson and Justin Dillon, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
Resident Agent in Charge William Porter, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Special Agents Calvin Lee, Roy Long and Tracy Rousseau, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Special Agent Joel Richards, Homeland Security Investigations
Agent Henry Shultz, Texas Department of Public Safety
In July of 2023 FDLE received a request for assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas DPS) concerning a 16-year-old child that had disappeared from Texas two weeks prior. Texas DPS had tracked the child’s social media accounts to a Florida suspect. FDLE conducted surveillance of the suspect’s home and analysts located a police report filed in June 2023 of a female screaming for help in the woods by the suspect’s residence. The FDLE investigation, with assistance from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Texas DPS, led to a search of the suspect’s home and the recovery of the child. The actions of detectives Dawson and Dillion, Resident Agent in Charge Porter, special agents Lee, Long, Rousseau and Richards, and Agent Shultz saved the child’s life. The juvenile had been lured to Florida with the promise of a better life. Instead, she was tortured, starved, drugged and assaulted until her rescue. Two suspects were arrested and pled guilty to federal charges.
 
Combating Human Trafficking Award
Karen Sztukowski, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
Between November of 2023 and March of 2024, an endangered missing 15-year-old girl was the victim of human trafficking in multiple jurisdictions. Administrative Support Assistant Sztukowski collected, analyzed and disseminated crucial information to local, state, federal and non-profit agencies working on the case. Her work directly assisted in the successful recovery of the juvenile victim and the arrest of one of the suspects.
 
Jimmy Ryce Trailing Team of the Year
Deputy Kelli Covet and K-9 Anthem, Broward County Sheriff’s Office
On a December 2023 evening with 25 mph winds, deputies from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office were urgently dispatched to a residence where a 9-year-old Autistic child in diapers has suddenly gone missing. Deputy Covet and K-9 Anthem were among the first to arrive to the scene. Covet used a sterile gauze to absorb the child’s scent from one of the child’s shoes and Anthem navigated the child’s trail. When Anthem suddenly changed direction, the child’s father spotted his son in the roadway. The father specifically noted that Anthem’s change in direction was instrumental in finding his son and expressed profound gratitude for the skilled actions of Covet and Anthem. 
 
Citizen of the Year
Timothy Williams
In August of 2023, an adult male attempted to kidnap an 11-year-old girl at her bus stop. The girl fought back until Williams, a local parent, intervened and detained the suspect until law enforcement arrived. The suspect confessed that he planned on abducting and sexually assaulting the young girl. Because of Williams’ actions the girl is safe.
 
School Bus Operator of the Year
Ramonita Cancel, Seminole County Public Schools
During a routine morning bus route, Cancel witnessed a suspicious interaction between a 9-year-old child and an adult male in a pickup truck. Recognizing that the child was uncomfortable, Cancel intervened and confronted the man. She pursued the man and provided vital information about the suspect to law enforcement, which was pivotal in the suspect’s apprehension.
 
Maple Everyday Hero
Community Service Officer Tyron Crook, Kissimmee Police Department
In 2023 Crook was assigned more than 78 missing persons cases, of which 31 were missing children cases. Because of Crook’s investigative efforts, all 31 missing children were successfully recovered, often within days of the initial report.
 
To see a current list of AMBER Alert cases, please visit: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MCICSearch/CurrentAlerts.asp.
 
A current list of Missing Child Alert cases can be found here: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MCICSearch/CurrentMCAlerts.asp.
 
We invite the public to follow FDLE on Facebook Twitter and Instagram, and sign up to receive Missing Child and AMBER Alerts through email or text message by visiting www.missingchildrenalert.com. For more information about the Florida Missing Children’s Day Foundation, visit www.fmcdf.org.
 
For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001
 
 
 
 
 

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Priorities

FDLE is composed of five areas: Executive Direction and Business Support, Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science, Criminal Justice Information, Criminal Justice Professionalism and Florida Capitol Police. FDLE’s duties, responsibilities and procedures are mandated through Chapter 943, FS, and Chapter 11, FAC. To learn more about these areas, read our Statement of Agency Organization and Operation or visit our Open Government page.