Project 4 day: No more missing children

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday, WJXT is devoting part of every newscast to protecting your family and helping to bring kids missing from our area home. 

It's a parent's worst nightmare when a child goes missing.  It's a terrible tragedy that happened to Cherish Perrywinkle last month.  Police say she was abducted from a Jacksonville Walmart by convicted sex offender Donald Smith, sexually abused and then killed.  Smith is still being held behind bars on those charges.

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All day long Monday, Channel 4 will bring you stories empowering not only parents, but children.  Some of the stories we will bring you will help your children protect themselves from dangerous predators.  Other stories will give parents tools to help keep their families safe.

Every hour of the day -- from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. -- we will also feature a missing child from our area.

7 a.m. hour:

8 a.m. hour:

5 p.m. hour:

  • Amber Alert system: How it works and the criteria for activation
  • National Crime Prevention App: A free app that can help prevent your kids from becoming victims, specifically when you're away from home

6 p.m. hour:

  • Mark Degner and Brian Hayes: The two boys have been missing nearly 10 years from Jacksonville. Mark's mother shares her message about helping to find missing children.
  • Social Media's Role:  A look at how social media has impacted the search for missing children and what every social media user should know.

10 p.m. hour:

  • Mark Lunsford: An emotional interview with a father who's mission it is to change laws after his daughter Jessica was raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender
  • No. 1 thing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children wants all kids to know

11 p.m.:

  • The Safe List: Why teaching "stranger danger" may not be the best way to keep your kids safe.  A local psychologist explains why she supports the "Safe List."