TAMPA, Fla. — A multi-agency operation led by U.S. Marshals recently located 27 missing young people across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Operation Seminole Saber was a five-week initiative geared to recover or safely locate critically missing youths from across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

The Marshal's office defines “critically missing” children as those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as, but not limited to, drug or alcohol abuse, sexual exploitation, and domestic violence.

“The resources offered to find missing children through Operation Seminole Saber were invaluable because often we have very few leads,” said St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway. “Also, having community partnerships available to provide health and support services for recovered youth was important as sadly, missing youth often neglect their own health needs while they are on their own.”

The U.S. Marshal’s Office opened 33 missing child assistance cases during the execution of Operation Seminole Saber and managed to close 27 of those investigations for a case closure rate of over 80 percent.

All cases were initiated in close coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Children & Families, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, and other federal, state, and local partners. Seventeen of the cases opened related to human trafficking victims and/or juvenile arrest warrants.

The Tampa and St. Petersburg police departments, with other partner agencies, both closed 90% or better of the critically missing child cases within their jurisdictions.

“Operation Seminole Saber proved not only to be an exceptional interagency collaboration which we were honored to be a part of, but a necessary intervention at a critical time for many of our trafficked children who were diagnosed and treated for severe and what could be life threatening illness,” said Natasha Nascimento, President of Redefining Refuge, the Human Trafficking Liaison for Children’s Network of Hillsborough County. “US Marshals didn’t simply recover children, but in many ways created a touch point between us and the children that ultimately could’ve saved their lives."