{"id":2093,"date":"2026-07-02T07:11:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093"},"modified":"2026-07-02T07:11:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:11:38","slug":"operation-shine-the-light-leads-to-record-recovery-of-14-missing-children-on-oahu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093","title":{"rendered":"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A two-day child recovery operation on O\u02bbahu led to the safe recovery of 14 endangered missing children, marking the highest recovery count in the history of Operation Shine the Light.<\/p>\n

Read more Shake Shack coming to Ala Moana Center<\/a><\/p>\n

Record recovery on O\u02bbahu<\/h2>\n

Operation Shine the Light VII brought together multiple local, state and federal agencies \u2014 including the Honolulu Police Department, Hawaii Department of Human Services, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service \u2014 to locate runaway youth reported missing statewide.<\/p>\n

According to Amanda Leonard, coordinator for the Department of the Attorney General\u2019s Missing Child Center and Maile AMBER Alert Program, the operation began in 2020 and has now helped recover 64 children.<\/p>\n

The 14 minors recovered during last week\u2019s operation ranged in age from 13 to 17.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Summer can be higher-risk<\/h2>\n

Leonard said summer can be a higher-risk period for missing and endangered youth, as children are out of school and away from regular supervision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re using every single resource that we have to locate and recover them and provide them with whatever necessary services they may need, whether it\u2019s medical, whether it\u2019s victim services,\u201d Leonard said.<\/p>\n

Why kids go missing<\/h2>\n

Officials say once a minor is reported missing, they are considered endangered under federal guidelines because of increased risks of exploitation, abuse and harm.<\/p>\n

Leonard said the reasons children go missing are often complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a multifaceted reasoning,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cThey may be struggling with mental health issues. They may be struggling with substance abuse issues. They may be running to an older boyfriend or an older girlfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Suspect in Kailua road rage shooting indicted<\/a><\/p>\n

Services after recovery<\/h2>\n

Once recovered, children are connected to services aimed at helping stabilize their lives and prevent future missing episodes.<\/p>\n

Hawaii Department of Human Services deputy director Trista Speer said support services are tailored to each child\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s substance abuse treatment, or exploitation treatment, or anything in between, mental health treatment and services to really just wrap around any child that is in need of some additional support,\u201d Speer said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Focus on early intervention<\/h2>\n

Officials said early intervention is critical.<\/p>\n

Leonard said the goal is to help children regain stability before they age out of the juvenile system and face greater long-term risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey restore their childhood, and that we can prevent them from becoming adults that are stuck in that life and being sucked into the adult criminal justice system,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want that.\u201d<\/p>\n

To report child abuse, neglect or trafficking, contact the state\u2019s 24-hour hotline at (808) 832-5300.<\/b><\/p>\n

Read more Lahaina leader warns fire survivors of hiring unlicensed contractors<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A two-day multiagency operation recovered 14 endangered missing children across Oahu, ranging in age from 13 to 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOperation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A two-day multiagency operation recovered 14 endangered missing children across Oahu, ranging in age from 13 to 17.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T07:11:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T07:11:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093\"},\"wordCount\":455,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093\",\"name\":\"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu - Hawaii Moving Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T07:11:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2093#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hawaii Moving Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu - Hawaii Moving Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu - Hawaii Moving Insider","og_description":"A two-day multiagency operation recovered 14 endangered missing children across Oahu, ranging in age from 13 to 17.","og_url":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093","og_site_name":"Hawaii Moving Insider","article_published_time":"2026-07-02T07:11:38+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0"},"headline":"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu","datePublished":"2026-07-02T07:11:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093"},"wordCount":455,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093","url":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093","name":"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu - Hawaii Moving Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif","datePublished":"2026-07-02T07:11:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7e5e9b050123d23482a97556bdbf44f1.avif","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2093#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/","name":"Hawaii Moving Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}