The event is to honor National Missing Children’s Day which serves as a public reminder to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families, remember those who are still missing and make child protection a national priority.
National Missing Children’s Day is Monday and coincides with the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The child safety event is free and will take place at Coastland Center mall near Dillard’s from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Biometric fingerprinting will be provided by CCSO and the Naples Police Department. The event will also feature McGruff the crime dog, child safety literature, face painting and other activities for children.
On Monday the community will remember these local children who have gone missing:
Adji Desir, 6, was last seen Jan. 10 after he went outside to play in Farm Worker Village in Immokalee and disappeared. Adji is 3 feet tall and 45 pounds with short black hair and dark eyes. He is developmentally disabled and functions on a 2-year-old level. He has a limited vocabulary. He understands Creole, but cannot speak it. He knows his name, but cannot say it.
Brenda Ovalle of East Naples was 16 when she was last seen leaving her uncle’s home in eastern Collier on Feb. 3, 2004. She was 5 feet 8 inches tall and 165 pound with brown hair and brown eyes when she disappeared. Authorities believe she may be in Mexico with family.
Florinda Lopez of East Naples was 16 when she disappeared. She was last seen in Collier on June 18, 2001. She may have traveled to Immokalee or to Miami where she has family and friends. She did not take any identification when she left. At the time of her disappearance she was 5 feet tall and 100 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Mariazel Arreaga of Immokalee has been missing since April 30, 2007. She was 15 when she disappeared and was 4 feet 11 inches and 100 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She may still be in the Immokalee area, possibly with a boyfriend.
Wendy Hudakoc of Golden Gate was 14 when she was last seen leaving a party with an adult male in the city of Naples on Nov. 15, 1998. She was 5 feet 6 inches and 130 pounds with light brown hair and hazel eyes when she disappeared. She has a scar on her left hand and a birthmark on the back of her neck.
Neil Eddleman of Golden Gate was 13 when he disappeared while out on a fishing trip with his father and an adult on Oct. 17, 2003. The boat has since been located, along with the body of the adult male. Neil was 5 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes when he disappeared. His ears are pierced and he has a scar on the right side of his abdomen.
Darwin Daniel Garcia, 16, of Immokalee ran away from home on June 13, 2008. He is 4 feet 10 inches tall and 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Authorities believe he may be in Georgia, Tennessee or North Carolina. He may be in the company of a family member.
Adrian Gonzalez, 7, of Naples has been missing since Feb. 20, 2009. He is 3 feet tall and 50 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities believe he may be in the company of his parents, and they may be headed to Mexico.
Neida Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 2, of Naples has been missing since Feb. 20, 2009. She is 2 feet tall and 30 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She may be with her parents, and they may be headed to Mexico.
Wendy Ramirez-Beristain, 2, of Naples, disappeared Nov. 9, 2008. She was 3 feet tall and 50 pounds when she went missing. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She may be in the company of her father and they may be traveling to Mexico.
• Carmen Bautista (photo unavailable), 16, of Immokalee ran away from home in June 2008. She is 4 feet 11 inches tall and 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She may be in the company of her two young children Ana and Jemni.
• Jemni Bautista (photo unavailable), 3, of Immokalee has been missing since June 2008. She has black hair and brown eyes and may be in the company of her mother Carmen Bautista and 1-year-old sister Ana Maria.
• Ana Maria Jimenez-Bautista (photo unavailable), 1, of Immokalee has black hair and brown eyes. She may be with her mother Carmen Bautista and 3-year-old sister Jemni.
• Jemni Bautista (photo unavailable), 3, of Immokalee has been missing since June 2008. She has black hair and brown eyes and may be in the company of her mother Carmen Bautista and 1-year-old sister Ana Maria.
• Ana Maria Jimenez-Bautista (photo unavailable), 1, of Immokalee has black hair and brown eyes. She may be with her mother Carmen Bautista and 3-year-old sister Jemni.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-774-4434.
CCSO wants parents to know there are things they can do to keep their children safe and it urges parents to follow the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children’s recommendation to take 25 minutes to talk about safety with their child. The safety tips are a part of NCMEC's Take 25 national child safety campaign. Click here to view the safety tips, or go to www.missingkids.com.
