JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While the US Federal Marshals Service is known for tracking down and arresting dangerous wanted fugitives, little is known about their efforts to track down and safely return missing juveniles.
News4JAX was recently granted permission to be embedded with a federal marshal task force during “Operation Home for the Holidays,” an operation to locate and recover missing children across Florida.
The task force was made up of federal marshals, FBI agents, FDLE agents, NCIS agents, Immigration agents, Homeland Security, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns, and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Offices.
Several of the federal marshals who volunteered for the two-week mission traveled from different parts of the U.S. to help despite a federal government shutdown. The Florida Department of Children and Families, along with the First Coast Child Protection Team and various other child advocacy organizations, was also part of the task force.
Part 2 of the video can be watched below
The mission of “Operation Home for the Holidays” was to track down and recover missing kids in Florida’s middle district, which includes Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa. During those two weeks, the task force recovered 122 juveniles. Twenty-two of the kids were reported missing in the Jacksonville metropolitan area. One of the missing juveniles was recovered by authorities in Kentucky.
A section within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement building in Jacksonville was designated as the operation’s headquarters. It was within the headquarters where members of the field operation met for morning briefings on the missing kids and received real-time intel on possible places and addresses where missing juveniles were believed to be located.
During one morning briefing, attended by News4JAX, reality set in when it included a warning about being careful in the field.
“Be mindful that at some of these locations, where these children are, they could have gang affiliations. We also know that some of these kids are not only missing but have posted images online of themselves being in possession of firearms and drugs. Please make sure you have your safety kits, tourniquets, or anything you might need for self-aid. Everyone assigned to a team, keep in mind that we’re going to be in different locations, and if you’re not familiar with the area, go on Google to find the nearest hospital,” said one law enforcement officer who was conducting the briefing.
News4JAX was paired with Deputy Marshal Ricky Tippie, who was passionate about safely recovering missing juveniles.
That passion stems from the fact that he’s not only a federal law enforcement officer, but also a father, so being involved in “Operation Home for the Holidays” was personal.
“I would not want to be at home wondering where my kid is. Wandering the streets with unknown people, with drugs, and guns, so I do take this personal,” said Tippie.
The first mission on this particular morning was to locate and recover two missing teenage girls.
One was a 13-year-old runaway who was believed to be hanging out with a 14-year-old. The 14-year-old was not only wanted by the juvenile justice system for ditching her GPS ankle monitor, but she was also suspected of being a recruiter for human trafficking.
The intel the task force received placed both teens at an apartment complex in the Fort Caroline area of Jacksonville. Despite exhausting efforts to locate the girls inside the complex and the area surrounding the complex, both teens were nowhere to be found.
Failure to locate the two missing girls forced field operators to regroup and focus their attention on the next missing teen on the list, who is a 17-year-old girl who had been reported missing for several months. This teen’s situation was a bit complex because not only was she wanted by the juvenile justice system for ditching her GPS ankle monitor, but she is also suspected of being a human trafficking victim. The latter was based on digital intel the task force received.
Trying to locate the 17-year-old was an exhausting operation that had the task force going from one location to another.
One location was a home on the Westside because of a previous cell phone ping.
The home was staked out before task force members knocked on the door. But the missing teen was not there. Then new intel came in. That intel led the task force to a home in Green Cove Springs. But just like before, the teen was not there. Occupants in the house confirmed to the task force that the girl had previously stayed at the home but was now staying with a boyfriend in Jacksonville.
That information led the task force to an apartment complex where the teen was finally located and recovered. She was handcuffed and turned over to JSO to be transported to the Juvenile detention center.
“This minor is suspected of human trafficking and drug use. She’s had an unstable environment and an unstable past, and she was taken from the place where she thought she was safe, but running around with guns and drugs possibly, and still engaged in illicit activities. She’s going to the Dept. of Juvenile Justice and get the services that she needs,” said Tippie.
Had the teen not been wanted for alleged criminal offenses, she would have been taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital to receive immediate services, which included a warm meal, psychological and physical evaluation, and a counselor to talk to.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital allowed various child advocacy groups that were part of the task force to set up a logistical services command post along with a medical and social services area within an undisclosed location of the emergency room.
This came in handy for the number of recovered juveniles who ran away from home to escape physical and sexual abuse at the hands of a relative. Those services were also handy for the number of juveniles who may have been rescued from exploitation.
The following morning, the task force took another shot at locating the missing 13 and 14-year-old girls it had been searching for the previous day.
The two missing juveniles were located inside an Arlington area apartment. The 14-year-old was taken to the juvenile detention center.
Deputy Marshal Tippie told News4JAX that he hopes every recovered juvenile who was taken to the detention center to face justice understands that, although they made mistakes, their life is not over or forever ruined by those mistakes.
“We want them to get the help they need. Hopefully, they can learn from those mistakes and not keep chasing those bad decisions after this,” said Tippie.
As for the 13-year-old who was recovered, she was taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital to receive immediate services and hopefully reunited with her family.
Later that same day, a cell ping of another missing juvenile led the task force to a motel on Jacksonville’s Westside.
The teen was reported missing from DFC custody, and the motel where her cell pinged was in an area of the Westside notorious for sex trafficking. The task force located the teen in a second-floor room that was occupied by her parents. The task force later learned the girl ran away from DCF custody to live with her parents, but her parents didn’t have legal custody of her.
Law enforcement not only removed the girl from the motel because she was a runaway from DCF, but also because they spotted some questionable things inside the motel room that raised red flags. The girl was taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for services.
“Operation Home for the Holidays” was successful in terms of the number of missing children recovered, but it also shed light on the problem that exists in almost every corner of the US.
According to various child advocacy organizations, last year, nearly 350,000 missing kids were entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids, 95% of missing juveniles are classified as runaways. Many of the runaway cases involved kids who are highly vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and homelessness. Other common missing kid cases involve family abductions and kids missing from foster or state care.
According to multiple sources, an estimated 2,500 kids are reported missing annually in Florida, but it’s a yearly average, and so far, the 2024 data is believed not to have an exact count.