Forensic anthropologists from the University of South Florida teamed up with law enforcement and government agencies across the state to host the first ever 'Missing in Florida' day.

  • First Missing in Florida day was held Saturday
  • Event aimed at drawing attention to missing and unidentified people
  • Families, law enforcement and government agenices attended

The event aimed to draw attention to missing and unidentified persons cases, and provide an opportunity for families to come forward and file reports for the first time. The event was modeled after similar successful events held in other states, which have led to positive identifications.

"The public plays a really critical role because they're the eyes out there who see people know what happened we always say people don't just disappear someone knows what happened to them," USF Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Erin Kimmerle said.

Organizers hope the event will prompt new missing person investigations and collect necessary identifiers from family members such as DNA, fingerprints, dentals and photographs, to help solve open cases and to re-open cases that were erroneously closed.

"We want answers for the family, we don't want them to be out there for wondering what happened," Major Jeff Peake with  the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. "We want that closure for them."

Agencies also provided safety tips to keep autistic inidividuals and the elderly people from getting lost, information on Amber Alerts, and how law enforcement is combatting human trafficking in Florida.

Vivina Barnwell and her family came to the “Missing in Florida” event searching for answers about her son Peiare. Barnwell said her son left her New Port Richey home on Halloween weekend and she hasn’t heard from him since.

According to her, Peiara suffers from a severe mental illness and doesn’t have a cell phone or any other resources. His sister, Travina Hicks, gave a heartfelt plea for his safe return.

"We miss him so much he definitely needs to come home he's mentally challenged he needs his medication we miss him we love him we just want him back," Hicks said.

Currently, more than 3,200 people are missing in the state of Florida. Nationwide, there are more than 84,000 reported missing persons. However, experts said those numbers are underrated because many cases are mishandled, closed, or reports are not taken.