Operation Shine the Light Recovers 10 on Oʻahu

Operation Shine the Light recovered 10 endangered missing children and youth aged 13–18 on Oʻahu over the weekend, the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General and Department of Human Services said. The multi‑agency effort was led by the AG’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force and Missing Children Center‑Hawai‘i and involved Honolulu Police Department, the FBI, U.S. Marshals, the U.S. Secret Service, Army CID, other federal and military partners and nonprofit providers. Authorities made several arrests, have ongoing investigations, and said the operation aimed to locate runaways, identify child victims, provide trauma‑informed care and essential services, and deter predators; the recovered youths’ identities were not released. Officials cited National Center for Missing and Exploited Children data that about one in seven of the more than 29,000 children reported missing in 2024 were likely victims of child sex trafficking, and that 18% of those who ran from child welfare were likely victims. State and law enforcement leaders — including ICAC Commander Edward Arias, Attorney General Anne Lopez and Interim HPD Chief Rade Vanic — praised the collaboration and urged the public to report suspected abuse, neglect or trafficking to DHS and NCMEC hotlines.