Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Tuesday the outcome of an international collaboration, Operation Statewide Shield, which successfully located 163 missing children. The operation spanned five continents with the youngest child being just 2 months old and the eldest, 17.
Florida law enforcement, in conjunction with federal and international agencies, embarked on a five-day mission in mid-August to trace and recover these children. The operation underscores a significant multi-agency effort to address a pressing issue.
Some of these children had run away, while others were victims of abandonment, neglect, or abuse. A portion had also been trafficked, highlighting the varied and tragic circumstances they faced, Uthmeier’s office reported.
“Tragically, many of these young individuals have been targeted by predators exploiting their vulnerability,” Uthmeier remarked.
Arrests were made in connection to the operation, including Jayden Allen Harwood, Robert Ferral Allison, and Michael Corey Prescott, all suspected of involvement in child abuse. (Photos courtesy of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office; Lee County Sheriff’s Office; the Office of the Florida Attorney General; and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement)
The August mission was Florida’s first statewide child-recovery initiative and the largest operation of its kind in Florida history, according to Uthmeier’s office.
Thanks to the work of the operation’s partners, he said, “these children are now safe and receiving the care they deserve.
“Florida will continue leading the recovery of missing children, hunting down every predator and prosecuting abusers to the fullest extent of the law.”
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’s office said.
Three men have been arrested so far, a spokesman for Uthmeier told News Media.
Officers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement work to locate and recover missing children during Operation Statewide Shield. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)
Michael Prescott was arrested on Aug. 21 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s 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.
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Prescott already had an active warrant for interference with child custody, according to Uthmeier’s office.
Robert Ferral Allison was arrested on Aug. 20 by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a victim 12 to 16 years old.
Jayden Allen Harwood, according to Uthmeier’s office, was arrested on charges of interference in a child custody case and resisting officers without violence.
“Many more investigations [have been] started,” a spokesman for Uthmeier’s office said. “More arrests are expected.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a news conference at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Meyers, Fla., on Aug. 13, 2026. (Courtesy of the Office of the Florida Attorney General)
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.
Some of the children were reunited with their families, and some were taken into foster care, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office said.
The recoveries allowed the children’s cases with the Missing and Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse to be closed, Uthmeier said.
Officers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement work to locate and recover missing children during Operation Statewide Shield. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)
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.
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.
Providing critical assistance were numerous municipal law enforcement agencies and federal partners, and 13 Florida sheriff’s offices including Manatee, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Clay, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Flagler, Orange, Escambia, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, Uthmeier said.