Two young children were found standing alone at a woman's door Friday evening near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Parental Home Road in Jacksonville, prompting a public appeal from police that ended hours later with word that the children had been identified.
According to the Jax Sheriff's Office
, District 3 police officers found the two children by themselves around 5 p.m. Friday. The children were believed to be between 3 and 5 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes, the agency said in its initial post. Investigators said at the time they were trying to determine who the children were and where their family might be so they could get them home safely.
The sheriff's office asked anyone with information to call 904-630-0500 as officers worked to track down the children's parents or guardians. The appeal concerned the children found near the Beach Boulevard and Parental Home Road intersection in Jacksonville.
Update Confirms Children Have Been Identified
By 6:45 p.m., the sheriff's office posted an update saying the children had been identified, thanking the public for its help. The post from the agency's account, known on X as jsopio, read in part: “6:45 p.m. Update: The children have been identified. Thank you to all who assisted.”
A Similar Case Earlier This Year
This is not the first time Jacksonville police have turned to the public for help identifying a child found alone. In August, a boy was found alone overnight, and by 4:55 a.m. the sheriff's office announced he had been identified and reunited with his family, according to Action News Jax. That case and Friday's incident both relied on quick public response to connect young children with their families.
The sheriff's office credited the community for its assistance in identifying the two children.
