TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – From a 13-year-old missing for 8 months to a 1-year-old missing from Leon County, a total of 43 children, all reported as critically missing, have been found. <\/p>\n
The children were located in a recent 12-day recovery mission labeled \u201cOperation Northern Lights\u201d led by the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies. <\/p>\n
Some of the children were believed to have been taken across multiple county and even state lines before being found. Officials say the critically missing classification is used to define kids who may be at risk of crimes of violence, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure or domestic violence. <\/p>\n
Sergeant Rachel Buell with the Leon County Sheriff\u2019s Office said the law enforcement agencies began by compiling a list of those who were critically missing and then splitting the cases up by jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
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Officers went door-to-door, scoured social media, and made phone calls, among other efforts, to narrow down where the kids could be. <\/p>\n
Buell said when a child goes missing, there is an 80% chance they will be a victim of human trafficking, and so in these cases, time is crucial. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou would think that finding kids probably wouldn\u2019t be that hard, they\u2019re kids. But in all reality, they\u2019re harder to find sometimes than the adults,\u201d Buell said. \u201cFinding them before they find themselves in situations that they can\u2019t get themselves out of is important to us.\u201d <\/p>\n
Nine people were arrested for their involvement in these cases, and future charges are expected, ranging from human trafficking to child endangerment and custodial interference. <\/p>\n
Officials say they plan to continue recovery missions like Operation Northern Lights to help bring more kids back home with their families.<\/p>\n
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