A Florida law enforcement investigation ended with the rescue of an 11-month-old infant.
On May 12th, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was informed of a search and rescue operation on May 9th, where the 11-month-old victim was rescued. 29-year-old Huilzivan Alves da Costa was killed during the operation.
The 11-month-old infant was rescued after a months-long investigation conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Brazilian Federal Police.
FDLE agents initiated an undercover human trafficking operation to identify persons actively producing and selling CSAM. During this operation, a social networking account published a post offering a baby for sexual purposes. Agents made contact with the account holder, later identified as Alves da Costa, and arranged for the transport of the baby to Tampa from Brazil. The suspect ultimately backed out of the planned meeting.
FDLE agents continued to work with HSI on continued efforts to locate the child and identify Alves da Costa. HSI then contacted the Brazilian Federal Police who were able to locate Alves da Costa.
The law enforcement operation connected to the investigation resulted in the death of the suspect, 29-year-old Huilzivan Alves da Costa, of Mato Grosso in Brazil.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution was set to be the prosecutorial entity in this investigation. The investigation remains active, according to law enforcement.
