Families gathered in Tallahassee to commemorate Florida Missing Children's Day: 'Never, ever give up hope'

Florida Missing Children's Day in Tallahassee

Aaron Mesmer reports

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Families of missing children gathered in Tallahassee on Monday to commemorate Florida Missing Children's Day.

The ceremony Monday was an opportunity to remember children who have been missing for years, while honoring the efforts of Florida law enforcement to keep kids safe and prevent abductions.

"Never, ever give up hope," said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Director Mark Glass, offering advice to families in attendance. "I will promise you everything in my power with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State of Florida, we are going to keep that hope alive."

The family of Zachary Bernhardt, who disappeared from his Clearwater apartment in 2000, was among those who attended the event.

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Zachary's aunt, Billie-Jo Jiminez, said she recalls the first time she attended a Missing Children's Day ceremony in 2001, and met other families whose loved ones had been missing much longer.

"I remember thinking, well, that will never be me. They were going to find him, and we're going to find out what happened. So now when I stop, and I look at it, I think, well, here I am, and it's 24 years and [I'm] in a position where I never thought that I would be," said Jiminez, who maintains hope that her nephew will be found. "For us, [the event] is also a healing process because we're able to talk to other families who actually live our nightmare."

According to FDLE, last year Florida law enforcement agencies entered more than 29,045 missing children into the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC). The state also issued 58 Missing Child Alerts and eight AMBER Alerts.

To see a current list of AMBER Alert cases, click here.

To see the current list of Missing Child Alert cases, click here.

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