Focus on the BIG picture.
Saturday, Dec 20, 2025
Outside the box.
Forty-Three Missing Florida Children Recovered in U.S. Marshals’ ‘Operation Northern Lights’
Coordinated multi-agency sweep returns endangered youths to safety and leads to multiple arrests
Law enforcement officials have announced the successful recovery of forty-three missing and endangered children during a targeted search operation conducted across northern Florida and surrounding states.
The sweep, known as “Operation Northern Lights,” ran from December first to December twelfth and brought home children ranging in age from eighteen months to seventeen years, many of whom were considered at high risk due to exposure to danger or exploitation.
The U.S. Marshals Service led the initiative, deploying more than eighty personnel from twenty-five federal, state and local agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations and multiple sheriff’s offices.
The operation stretched beyond Florida, with recoveries made in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee as authorities pursued leads on critically missing youths in collaboration with partner agencies.
Among the notable recoveries were a one-year-old from Leon County located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a thirteen-year-old missing for eight months found in Jacksonville.
In a separate case, a fifteen-year-old abducted by a non-custodial adult was located in Ocala, leading to an arrest on charges of custodial interference.
The sweep produced nine arrests related primarily to interference with child custody, and officials said additional charges, including those tied to human trafficking and child endangerment, remain under pursuit.
Immediately after being found, the children were provided with medical care, nourishment and counseling, and were connected with child advocates and social-service agencies to support their long-term recovery and safety.
Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal described the effort as one of the most successful missing-child operations ever conducted in northern Florida, emphasising that the recovered children will now spend the holidays back with families or in safe environments.
Local and federal partners highlighted the critical teamwork that made the mission possible and reiterated their commitment to protecting vulnerable youth.
The sweep, known as “Operation Northern Lights,” ran from December first to December twelfth and brought home children ranging in age from eighteen months to seventeen years, many of whom were considered at high risk due to exposure to danger or exploitation.
The U.S. Marshals Service led the initiative, deploying more than eighty personnel from twenty-five federal, state and local agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations and multiple sheriff’s offices.
The operation stretched beyond Florida, with recoveries made in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee as authorities pursued leads on critically missing youths in collaboration with partner agencies.
Among the notable recoveries were a one-year-old from Leon County located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a thirteen-year-old missing for eight months found in Jacksonville.
In a separate case, a fifteen-year-old abducted by a non-custodial adult was located in Ocala, leading to an arrest on charges of custodial interference.
The sweep produced nine arrests related primarily to interference with child custody, and officials said additional charges, including those tied to human trafficking and child endangerment, remain under pursuit.
Immediately after being found, the children were provided with medical care, nourishment and counseling, and were connected with child advocates and social-service agencies to support their long-term recovery and safety.
Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal described the effort as one of the most successful missing-child operations ever conducted in northern Florida, emphasising that the recovered children will now spend the holidays back with families or in safe environments.
Local and federal partners highlighted the critical teamwork that made the mission possible and reiterated their commitment to protecting vulnerable youth.
