For five days, investigators across Florida searched for children who had disappeared from the system.

Then came the number:

163.

Authorities say 163 missing children were located and safely recovered during Operation Statewide Shield, a massive statewide effort that ran from August 17 through August 21.

The children ranged in age from just 2 months old to 17 years old.

Investigators worked across major Florida regions — including Tampa Bay, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, Fort Myers, Pensacola and Tallahassee.

But the operation didn’t stop at Florida’s borders.

Authorities said cases connected to the operation extended into six other states, one U.S. territory and 12 countries.

And officials say many of the children had experienced some level of abuse, neglect, exploitation or exposure to other criminal activity.

Some cases involved human trafficking.

Others involved entirely different circumstances.

🚨 This was not one giant kidnapping case.

It was a massive effort to locate children who had been reported missing or were otherwise considered vulnerable — and bring them back into the care and protection they needed.

Once recovered, children needing assistance were taken to specialized recovery hubs where they could receive help from social workers, medical professionals, victim advocates and child-welfare specialists.

But perhaps the most powerful part of the operation isn’t the number.

It’s what that number represents.

163 children who might otherwise have remained missing.

163 stories.

163 families.

163 lives now given another chance to move forward.

💔 And officials warn that recovery is only the beginning.

Some of these children will need long-term medical care, counseling, protection and support as they begin rebuilding their lives.

🙏 They have been found.

Now comes the harder part:

Helping them heal.

🚨 163 CHILDREN. FIVE DAYS. ONE MASSIVE OPERATION.

And for 163 families, this wasn’t just a police operation.

It was the phone call they had been waiting for.