JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than 100 missing children have been rescued across Florida, including 22 in the Jacksonville area.
It’s part of “Operation Home for the Holidays,” which was led by the U.S. Marshals Service.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office also assisted locally.
Six people were arrested and the kids rescued across the state range in age from 23 months to 17 years old.
Law enforcement said many of them experienced abuse, neglect, or exposure to other criminal activity.
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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier emphasized that child predators are not welcome in Florida.
“Now you should know if you come into Florida and you want to lay a finger on our kids, if you want to prey upon them, if you want to groom them, if you want to abuse them, everybody up here is coming for you with everything we’ve got,” Uthmeier said.
Uthmeier said medical care and rehabilitation was ready for 13 of the children when they were rescued.
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