2025 Florida Missing Children's Day (FMCD)
AWARD WINNERS
The Florida Missing Children's Day Foundation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Missing and Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse Advisory Board would like to congratulate the 2025 Florida Missing Children's Day (FMCD) award winners.
The FMCD ceremony is an hour long ceremony, live streamed on the Florida Channel, that consists of two parts. The first part of the ceremony features an award ceremony recognizing citizens, law enforcement personnel, and K9 trailing teams for their exemplary efforts when investigating missing person cases and/or investigations that result in keeping Florida's children safe from harm.
Below are the 2025 FMCD Award Winners. Please join us in recognizing their exemplary efforts keeping Florida safe!
You can watch previous FMCD ceremonies via video by clicking here.
Read a description of this year's award winners below.
Commissioner's Award
Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office | Missing Persons Unit
Lieutenant Michael Batista, Lieutenant Jeffrey Lugo, Lieutenant Aviel Sanchez, Sergeant Raul Cabrera, Jr., Sergeant Carl Jeannot, Deputy Marjorie Eloi, Deputy Kimberly Fernandez-Roblin, Deputy Suzanne Gowdie, Deputy Yasel Hernandez, Deputy Fabian Owens, Deputy Roberto Palmer, Deputy Michael Ritch, Jr., Deputy Octavio Tellez, Deputy Madelin Webb
From January 1st, 2024, to April 24th, 2025, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit was assigned to 1,769 missing person cases, recovering 1,653 endangered juveniles and adults. That’s an incredible 93% recovery rate. Over the past year, the Missing Persons Unit has demonstrated their dedication to locating missing and endangered individuals. Here are just a few of the many recoveries they have made this year.
In April of 2024, deputies from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit safely recovered a missing 10-year-old child who had made homicidal threats before running away from his caretaker. The Missing Persons Unit coordinated efforts with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office’s Special Patrol Bureau, K9, and Aviation units to search for the juvenile, initiated reverse 911 calls to residents in the area, and issued alerts to the area. The child was recovered in good condition and returned to his caretaker and social workers.
In January of this year, deputies from the Missing Persons Unit were assigned to the case of a law enforcement officer who was reported missing by his wife. Through investigation, the deputies discovered that the officer hadn’t been to work in over two weeks, and were able to track his vehicle to a hotel where he barricaded himself in his room. After hours of negotiation and building rapport, the deputies convinced him to leave his room, and he was safely taken to a hospital to be medically and psychologically evaluated.
As a last example, the Missing Persons Unit responded to a report of a missing elderly man with dementia who failed to return home after leaving in a vehicle. The team utilized multiple law enforcement resources and issued a Silver Alert in the area. They were able to trace the missing person’s phone, which led deputies to a location over 35 miles from the missing person’s intended destination. He was found disoriented in his vehicle but was safely recovered and reunited with his family.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office’s Missing Persons Unit has worked above and beyond the call of duty to investigate, locate, and recover missing persons. The examples above are just a synopsis of some of the amazing work this team is doing in locating and recover Florida’s missing one case at a time.
Evelyn Williams Memorial Award
State Law Enforcement Dispatcher Kayla Read | Florida Highway Patrol
In September of 2024, the Jacksonville Regional Communication Center (JRCC) was contacted by the mother of a missing female juvenile from Wisconsin. The juvenile was traveling on I-10 with her boyfriend. JRCC dispatched units in the area but was unable to locate the vehicle. JRCC was then notified that the vehicle was now traveling on I-75, and units were dispatched to the area.
State Law Enforcement Dispatcher (SLED) Kayla Read dispatched Tampa district troopers to the area, while contacting the mother and receiving updates on the GPS location every few minutes. SLED Read communicated with the troopers, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to provide them with updates. She also obtained permission to track the boyfriend’s cell phone in an attempt to get an accurate location of the missing girl, while providing constant updates to law enforcement. Ultimately, SLED Read provided an exact location, and the missing juvenile was located and turned over to DCF.
If not for SLED Read’s quick thinking to track additional GPS devices, her ability to speak to the mother and other agencies, and her relay of accurate information, the missing juvenile would likely have not been recovered.
John and Revé Walsh Award
Escambia County Sheriff's Office | Missing Person Unit
Lieutenant Brandon Beech, Sergeant Jason Comans, Sergeant Burt Craft, Investigator Timothy Fox, Investigator Karen Shreves, Deputy Bernice Andre, Administrative Assistant Karen Sztukowski, Victim Advocate Ola Wolff
From September 2021 to present, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office (ESCO) Missing Person Unit, along with the agency’s victim advocate, have identified over 193 missing juveniles classified as habitual runaways. ECSO uses the term “habitual” when the missing juvenile or adult has more than three missing person reports in one calendar year. After identifying juveniles or adults as habitual runaways, the victim advocates, along with DCF and other local vetted non-profit agencies provide outside services. These services include financial assistance, after-school services, job education services, and counseling services.
The ECSO Missing Person Unit takes the list of habitual runaways and analyzes the causes of their behavior. This had led the Missing Person Unit to use DCF’s classification of high-risk victims. The unit has identified over 20 high-risk victims to date. High-risk victims are those who commit crimes to support a drug habit or engage in some type of sexual activity that could be deemed criminal, or they might even be a victim of human trafficking.
The ECSO Missing Person Unit’s goal is to provide prevention services to high-risk victims before their actions become criminal. Further, if they have criminal charges due to their actions, the ECSO Missing Person Unit and their victim advocate partner work with DCF, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the State Attorney’s Office to make recommendations for the best program to provide the juvenile. At present, the Missing Person Unit has had 15 of the identified juveniles complete their programs and 5 are presently going through the process.
Local Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Detective Lashante Whitaker | Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
In April of 2025, Detective Lashante Whitaker was assigned to locate and recover three endangered children, taken out of Florida by their biological mother without the permission of their biological father. The mother was under a current investigation in Georgia for child endangerment and suffering from an unspecified mental illness.
Through multiple interviews with patrol, the biological father, and other family and friends, Detective Whitaker learned that that the mother had fled from Jacksonville sometime in February 2025, and that the father had been searching for them. She learned that the mother withdrew the children from school and was possibly heading to Colorado. Through various interviews and investigative resources, Detective Whitaker obtained a location and possible phone number for the mother in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Detective Whitaker was able to contact the mother, who reluctantly spoke with her. Over hours of conversations and texts, Detective Whitaker gained the trust of the mother and convinced her to cooperate with the investigation. She obtained an exact location for the mother and three children, where she was able to direct local law enforcement to the location and arranged for New Mexico’s Department of Children and Families to take custody of the children until the father could respond to take custody of them. After the children were recovered safely back home with him, their father reached out to thank Detective Whitaker for her hard work and dedication.
State Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Trooper Daniel Jordan Watson | Florida Highway Patrol
In June of 2024, Trooper Jordan Watson responded to a request for assistance from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office regarding a vehicle they were pursuing. The driver was the subject of a missing endangered adult alert and child BOLO alert out of Jacksonville. The driver was alleged to have made statements that she was intending to kill herself and her 3-year-old child. Trooper Watson responded to the location and was able to stop the vehicle using the Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) Maneuver, resulting in the safe recovery of the child and adult.
Trooper Watson’s consideration of the inherent risk versus the immediate recovery of the child was a difficult decision to make. However, he displayed the courage to take action, resulting in the safe recovery of the child.
Law Enforcement Task Force/Team of the Year
Tampa Police Department:
Sergeant Joseph Sustek, Detective Tony Aguiar, Detective Amanda Baranowski, Detective Michael Drayton, Detective Erica Gardner, Detective Jonathan Ruiz, Detective Chrystal Shiver, Detective Julio Tagliani, Analyst Christina Hitchman
Suwannee County Sheriff's Office:
Sergeant Brian Barrs, Sergeant Michael Landis, Corporal Jonathan Bonk, SVU Investigator Kim Lane, Investigator Jacob Wiliamson, Deputy Ali Law, Deputy Pete Merola
In May of 2024, officers from Tampa Police Department were dispatched in response to a missing 9-year-old child and her adult mother. It was discovered that the child’s mother had left the home with her live-in boyfriend that morning, and that later that day, the boyfriend returned home without the mother and left with the 9-year-old child.
The Tampa Police Department Special Victims Unit was able to track his work cell phone, which pinged at a motel in Suwannee County. Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office was contacted, and deputies responded to the motel, where they were able to confirm the room number the boyfriend had checked in to. An AMBER Alert was also issued for the child by FDLE.
Officers heard a child yelling outside of the motel room, and the missing 9-year-old child eventually opened the door and appeared to be crying. She was taken to a patrol vehicle a safe distance away. The mother’s boyfriend was discovered in the bathtub with a firearm pointed at his own head. Negotiations went on for several hours, but he ended up taking his own life.
The child was later transported safely to Gainesville and interviewed. Her mother’s boyfriend had picked her up that day, alone, bought her clothing and makeup, and brought her to the motel room where she was given cocaine and alcohol right before deputies responded to the scene. A search of the room revealed several items that he may have been planning to assault the child with. The mother’s body was found a few days later in Hillsborough County. While this tragic discovery was not what anyone hoped for, the cooperation and quick action on the part of Tampa Police Department and Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office very likely saved the child’s life.
Combatting Human Trafficking Award
Detective Jarrod Foster | Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
In September of 2024, Detective Jarrod Foster was assigned the case of two missing juveniles, aged 15 and 16. The two juveniles were missing from a local group home, where they had left without permission. Detective Foster conducted investigative inquiries to gain information on the missing juveniles’ whereabouts to assist in their recovery.
Detective Foster conducted forty hours of direct surveillance and located a residence where the missing juveniles had been spotted. Detective Foster identified an adult male who frequently visited the residence and behaved in a manner consistent with sexual activity. Detective Foster suspected the missing juveniles were victims of human trafficking.
Detective Foster briefed his sergeant and the Human Trafficking Unit at his agency on the facts of the case. After several hours of surveillance, an organized traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle leaving the residence. One of the missing juveniles, along with a secondary adult female suspect, was discovered in the vehicle. The juvenile disclosed to a detective and an advocate from the Human Trafficking Unit that she was a victim of human trafficking. The second missing juvenile was also located shortly after and was also found to be a victim of human trafficking. It was later discovered that this man had an open charge for Sexual Battery and was out on bond at the time of this incident. As a result of Detective Foster’s dedication, a strong case was built against the two suspects, and they are now facing significant time in prison.
Jimmy Ryce K9 Trailing Team of the Year
Deputy Roberth Mata and K9 Indy | Sumter County Sheriff's Office
In May of 2024, a 16-year-old nonverbal juvenile with autism spectrum disorder was reported missing from his residence late in the evening, after dark. Deputy Roberth Mata and K9 Indy responded and began to track, eventually turning the track over to outside agency bloodhound teams, who were assisting at the scene. The next day, Deputy Mata and K9 Indy responded back to the residence.
They began the same track as the night prior, before changing direction and heading into a heavily wooded swamp. Both Deputy Mata and K9 Indy were in and out of neck-deep swamp water, actively tracking, when they came to a large fallen tree in the water. On the other side of the tree, the juvenile was located in the water.
Deputy Mata helped the juvenile out of the water and gave him his shirt, as he was naked, cold, and shivering. The juvenile had been missing for more than 18 hours, and when located about a half mile from his home, he was in neck-deep swamp water and covered in insect and snake bites. Deputy Mata’s commitment to locate the missing juvenile went beyond normal tracking conditions; both his and K9 Indy’s persistence was an integral part in locating and providing a safe recovery of the juvenile.
Citizen of the Year
Mr. Victor Gillis | City of St. Petersburg Sanitation Department
In February of 2025, Mr. Victor Gillis, a Sanitation Specialist with the City of St. Petersburg Sanitation Department, observed a 2-year-old child walking alone in the road without any visible parental supervision. Recognizing the immediate danger the child was in, Mr. Gillis acted swiftly and decisively. He stopped his sanitation vehicle and took ahold of the child, moving him out of the road to ensure his safety.
He remained with the child until law enforcement arrived at the scene. Thanks to Mr. Gillis’ alertness and quick response, the child was returned home safe and unharmed. The child’s mother was not aware that the child had exited their residence. Mr. Gillis' actions not only prevented a potentially tragic accident but also demonstrated an exceptional level of civic duty and personal responsibility.
School Bus Operator of the Year
Ms. Evonne Eicher | Martin County School District
This year, Ms. Eicher, a school bus operator in Martin County, was at a bus stop with elementary students on board when a vehicle attempted to pass the bus on the left. She immediately stopped the student from crossing over in front of the bus and prevented a possible accident from occurring.
Ms. Ruth Spires, the Director of Transportation for Martin County Schools, expresses how proud she is of Ms. Eicher. Ms. Eicher is quoted as being a “caring and loving driver that treats the students on her bus as her own children.” The parents of her student bus riders even have her personal number in case of emergencies. Ms. Spires states, “If a driver is delayed, she (Ms. Eicher) is the first to volunteer.”
Maple's Everyday Hero Award
Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office | Detention K9 Unit
Sergeant Robert Lenzo (K9 Ozi), Deputy Donald Carter (K9 Ash), Deputy Joshua Chandler (K9 Doc), Deputy Corey Johnson (K9 Mac), Deputy David Robinett (K9 Jake)
In October of 2024, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Detention K9 Unit was deployed to locate a 79-year-old man with dementia who had wandered away barefoot from his residence overnight. The Detention K9 Unit is made up of 3 Bloodhounds and 2 German Shorthair Pointers. Upon arrival, the K9 team located two faint sock prints north of the home. One of the K9s, Doc, a bloodhound, was presented with the man’s shirt, and began to track along the roadside, through a sandy area, and several hundred yards along the sidewalk before eventually safely locating the man approximately 950 yards from where the track began.
Several months later, in March of 2025, the Detention K9 Unit responded to a report of a missing 23-year-old with autism, who reportedly functioned at the cognitive level of a 10-year-old child. He had left his home on foot earlier that day, and the only available lead was an Apple AirTag placed in his shoe, which had last pinged at the residence over three hours prior. His direction of travel was unknown.
K9 Doc was deployed into the heavily wooded, swampy area surrounding the home. After eliminating multiple paths of travel with no results, Doc picked up a faint track heading west. A single footprint confirmed they were on the right path, and as they pressed on through nearly a mile of swamp and brush, the track grew fresher. Eventually, they emerged to the roadside where Doc continued tracking north. Moments later, the missing man was spotted standing alone in a vacant lot, wet from the waist down, but otherwise unharmed. K9 Doc and his handler, Deputy Joshua Chandler, had tracked the missing man successfully for over 1 mile through challenging terrain.
The Detention K9 unit has also:
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Safely located 3 missing elderly individuals
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Tracked and recovered 2 juvenile runaways, including another autistic subject
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Found and assisted a suicidal subject in crisis
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Deployed on 25 separate occasions to assist patrol in locating fleeing suspects who ran from law enforcement
The K9 team also plays a critical role in keeping the community safe through specialized detection work. The unit includes a narcotics detection K9 assigned to the detention facility, regularly used to search housing areas and cells for illegal drugs. The team also includes an electronics detection K9, used not only to locate hidden electronic devices inside the jail but also to support FDLE with search warrants during child pornography investigations.
Altogether, this team brings an incredible amount of versatility to the table. Whether it’s tracking missing persons, locating fleeing suspects, uncovering drugs or electronics, or assisting in sensitive investigations, they’re a well-rounded, mission-ready group that delivers results wherever they’re needed.
Student Contest Winners
Florida Missing Children’s Day (FMCD) recognizes this year’s poster winner, essay contest winner, and National Anthem contest winner. The goal of these contests is to provide an opportunity for teachers, families, and communities to discuss ways for children to protect themselves from abduction.
If you have a student or child in 5th grade interested in participating in the essay or poster contest, or a 1st through 8th grade student interested in the National Anthem contest, please visit our student contest page to see the related requirements and deadlines. Submissions will open in December 2025.
U.S. Department of Justice State of Florida Poster Contest Winner | Cali
Read Cali's description of her winning poster below:
"My poster shows a young boy who is trapped in a terrible situation. He was kidnapped, and is now being physically and emotionally abused. I drew him getting a glimpse of the outside world. All he can think about is his home and his family. Even though he is going through the worst thing imaginable, he still has hope. This symbolizes the terrible reality for countless children gone missing. If we help to bring awareness, maybe we can give them hope, and bring them home."
The poster contest is open to Florida 5th graders and all participants will receive a signed Certificate of Excellence from FDLE.
Essay Contest Winner | Jack
Read Jack's full winning essay by clicking here.
In Jack's essay, he explains several ways kids can stay safe all day. He provides safety tips every child should know, and explains how to stay safe online and prevent abduction. In his words, "You can prevent child abduction by teaching safety tips, online safety, and what to do if your child runs away or gets abducted. These are essential for your child's safety."
The essay contest is open to Florida 5th graders and all participants will receive a signed Certificate of Excellence from FDLE. Please limit to 1 entry from each class or school.
National Anthem Contest Winner | Camila
Camila performed an excellent rendition of the National Anthem during this year’s Florida Missing Children's Day ceremony. The National Anthem contest is open to elementary and middle schoolers, and the winner will perform at next year’s FMCD ceremony on September 7, 2026. Prize is contingent on attendance and performance at FMCD.
This year's 2025 Florida Missing Children's Day state billboard, based on Cali's artwork.