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More than a dozen families whose child left one day and never came home spent the day in the state Capitol at a ceremony where their loss was recognized. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, today was the annual missing children’s day ceremony.

Tears and continuing pain were on the faces of parents and loved ones as they honored a children gone missing. Mark Degner and Bryan Hayes were last seen leaving a Jacksonville middle school more than decade ago. Linda Alligood is Mark Degner’s Aunt.

“And the feeling when you put the rose up there?”

“Rough”

Rough? Tell me, how long has it been?”

“Eleven years.”

“And it hasn’t gotten any better?”

“No, it never does” says Alligood.

Governor Rick Scott calls the pain unimaginable.

“To this day, they miss their loved ones and none of us can imagine what they have gone through” Scott told the audience.

But the somber ceremony had it’s bright spots. Two fifth graders were honored, one for an essay teaching kids how to stay safe. Jaycelynn Dowdy is a fifth grader at Curlew Creek Elementary in Pinellas County.

“Honestly, if someone tried to take me, I don;t know if it would be worse for me or them. I would immediately start to fight and scream at the top of my lungs”

says Dowdy.

And another who put that advice to work. Mia does not want to be identified because her  attacker has not been caught. Donna Uzell FDLE Special Agent in Charge described the ordeal this way:

“She said she found strength she never knew she had,a nd her instincts were to scream and just run away” say Uzell.

To which Jaycelynn responded.

“I feel happy that I inspired some kids and adults.”

And this poster was drawn by fifth grader Samantha Castillo

who won a national contest.

“And I feel so bad. I wanted to do art that I could remember and that other people could remember the children” says Samantha.

Also honored, a bloodhound who tracked down a missing special needs child. It was one of dozens donated by Don Ryce after his son went missing in 1995.

Since the beginning of the year, Florida has issued 30 missing children’s alerts, seven Amber alerts, which indicate a child is in danger and more than 170 silver alerts for a missing senior. As the ceremony ended, a new alert went out for a missing 3 year old in Pinellas County.