{"id":24986,"date":"2026-08-25T14:22:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T14:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24986"},"modified":"2026-08-25T14:22:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T14:22:21","slug":"florida-recovers-163-missing-children-across-5-continents-ag-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24986","title":{"rendered":"Florida recovers 163 missing children across 5 continents, AG says"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FIRST ON FOX:<\/strong> A multi-agency effort in Florida has recovered 163 children \u2014 from 2 months old to 17 \u2014 across five continents during Operation Statewide Shield, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Working with federal and foreign law enforcement agencies, Florida law enforcement officials spent five days in mid-August tracking and recovering the missing children.<\/p>\n

Some of the children were runaways, Uthmeier\u2019s office said. Some had been abandoned, neglected or abused. Some had been trafficked.<\/p>\n

MIKE WALTZ, TIM TEBOW LAUNCH EFFORT TO COMBAT ONLINE CHILD EXPLOITATION: ‘IT’S HAPPENING IN THEIR BACKYARD’<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Many of these kids have been victimized by those who prey on the most vulnerable,” Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n

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Jayden Allen Harwood, Robert Ferral Allison and Michael Corey Prescott were arrested in connection with Florida’s statewide operation targeting suspected child abusers.<\/span> (Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office; Lee County Sheriff’s Office; Courtesy of the Office of the Florida Attorney General; Florida Department of Law Enforcement)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The August mission was Florida\u2019s first statewide child-recovery initiative and the largest operation of its kind in Florida history, according to Uthmeier\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

MORE THAN 300 ARRESTED IN SPRAWLING CALIFORNIA CRACKDOWN ON CHILD EXPLOITATION CRIMES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to the work of the operation\u2019s partners, he said, “these children are now safe and receiving the care they deserve.<\/p>\n

“Florida will continue leading the recovery of missing children, hunting down every predator and prosecuting abusers to the fullest extent of the law.”<\/p>\n

ICE ARRESTS MORE THAN 900 SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKERS DURING FIFA WORLD CUP, RESCUES 180 VICTIMS: DHS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rescuers recovered the children in Florida, Alabama, California, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Tennessee. They also found children in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain and Taiwan, Uthmeier\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

Three men have been arrested so far, a spokesman for Uthmeier told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AMONG 70 ARRESTED IN MISSISSIPPI CHILD EXPLOITATION CRACKDOWN: FEDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Officers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement work to locate and recover missing children during Operation Statewide Shield.<\/span> (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Michael Prescott was arrested on Aug. 21 by the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office. He was charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, one count of felony battery and one count of aggravated assault.<\/p>\n

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prescott already had an active warrant for interference with child custody, according to Uthmeier\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Robert Ferral Allison was arrested on Aug. 20 by the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office. He was charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a victim 12 to 16 years old.<\/p>\n

Jayden Allen Harwood, according to Uthmeier’s office, was arrested on charges of interference in a child custody case and resisting officers without violence.<\/p>\n

TRUMP SIGNS HAWLEY MEASURE ADDING 200 CHILD EXPLOITATION INVESTIGATORS IN LARGEST CRACKDOWN EFFORT YET<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Many more investigations [have been] started,” a spokesman for Uthmeier\u2019s office said. “More arrests are expected.”<\/p>\n

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a news conference at the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office in Fort Meyers, Fla., on Aug. 13, 2026.<\/span> (Courtesy of the Office of the Florida Attorney General)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As the children were rescued, local law enforcement officers transported them to hubs, where they received support from social services workers, child welfare professionals, medical providers, victim advocates and other child-centered agencies, according to Uthmeier’s office.<\/p>\n

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Some of the children were reunited with their families, and some were taken into foster care, a spokesman for the attorney general\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

GOT A TIP?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The recoveries allowed the children\u2019s cases with the Missing and Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse to be closed, Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n

DHS HAS ONLY 7 CHILD EXPLOITATION ANALYSTS, HAWLEY MEASURE WOULD FUND 200 INVESTIGATORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Officers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement work to locate and recover missing children during Operation Statewide Shield.<\/span> (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) steered the operation using lessons learned from Operation Dragon Eye and Operation Home for the Holidays, carried out by the U.S. Marshals.<\/p>\n

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Helping plan and execute the operation were: the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), Baycare, More to Life and the Florida Human Trafficking Victims Fund.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Providing critical assistance were numerous municipal law enforcement agencies and federal partners, and 13 Florida sheriff\u2019s offices including Manatee, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Clay, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Flagler, Orange, Escambia, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n

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