ESTERO, Fla. (WINK)— The National Child Protection Task Force (NCPTF) rescued 21 missing and endangered children across Lee, Collier and Hendry counties this week.
NCPTF completed a multi-agency Missing Child Rescue Operation this week, working out of a centralized command center in Estero to locate endangered missing youth across Lee, Collier and Hendry counties.
This marks NCPTF’s first coordinated effort in Southwest Florida and its second in Florida overall, following a previous operation in Northeast Florida that located 29 endangered missing children.
Law enforcement agencies, child protection professionals, nonprofit organizations and technology partners all worked together to review cases, pursue new leads and help locate children at risk of exploitation and harm.
Recovered youth were also connected directly with local advocacy organizations and support services to help with safety and stability after recovery.
The operation was supported by the Tim Tebow Foundation and The Jensen Project and was made possible in partnership with Operation Light Shine and its INTERCEPT Task Force, which has a regional presence through the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
Private sector partners including Meta, Snap Inc., TikTok, Google, Block Inc. and Verizon expedited critical support requests to help law enforcement locate the children.
With this operation complete, NCPTF has now helped locate more than 218 endangered missing children through coordinated Missing Child Rescue Operations nationwide.