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The mothers, fathers, and extended family members from 18 families who lost a child participated in the annual Missing Children’s Day Ceremony at the State Capitol today. While the event allows families to highlight their loss, it is also about preventing future victims.

Teresa Neves couldn’t hold back the tears as she placed a rose next to granddaughter’s picture. Haleigh Cummings disappeared five years ago while a babysitter slept.

“We want everyone to know that we’re still waiting for Haleigh to come home” says Teresa.

It was also a day to celebrate successes. A Bloodhound that saved a child, bus driver Daisy Robinson who stopped her escambia County school bus when she spotted a three year old all alone.

“My heart goes out to little kids like that” says Robinson. So we asked

“someone might not have seen him, or someone might have kept going?”

“You know, there was one truck in front of me that just kept going.

Police were honored for tracking down sex traffickers and finding a runaway teen with a  pervert.

5th grader Amber Nguyen won a poster contest that nearly brought tears to the Jennifer Cook Pritt, the FDLE organizer of the event. “I want the missing children to never lose hope, and understand that people still care about them and want them home” is what the fifth grader wrote.

And St. Petersburg fifth grader Mia Guarnacciavwon a statewide essay contest on internet safety. She read her essay. “You should not put personal information on web sites or social media.”

The event was inspired by the loss of Jimmy Ryce. Father Don Ryce still attends 16 years later.  I’m happy that they’ve toughened up the Jimmy Ryce Act and that we keep this people away from their victims and potential victims” says Ryce.

If there is a tragedy to each of the 16 Missing Children’s Days that have occurred, it is that every year there is a new parent.

For families, the day is a chance to connect with the only other people who truly know their loss.

Since the death of Jimmy Ryce, the Ryce family has placed hundreds of bloodhounds with police agencies. Two more were donated today. Claudine Ryce, who passed away last year, was a believer that her son would have been saved had police had a tracking dog.