FDOT cameras actively monitored, assist investigations such as AMBER Alerts

An infant from Miami at the center of an AMBER Alert is still missing. The search for 1-week-old Andrew Caballeiro is intensifying. Investigators say his father took Andrew after a triple murder and likely drove along I-75 from Miami to Pasco county, which means they traveled through Southwest Florida.

Friday, we learned there is always someone watching the cameras along the interstate. So we looked at how the highway surveillance helps investigators search for clues.

Throughout five counties, Florida Department of Transportation has 200 traffic cameras watching drivers at every exit. Law enforcement says it’s an important tool that helps investigations such as AMBER Alerts and hit-and-runs.

Communities statewide and in Southwest Florida remain worried about the missing infant.

“It’s awful. It’s tragic that happened,” Kylee Drew said. “So I’m hoping they can do whatever they can.”

Investigators are still searching for baby Andrew and working closely with FDOT officials for clues.

“The first thing that the department does is once we get notified by [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] about an AMBER Alert or Silver Alert is put the alert on the message boards,” said Zach Burch with FDOT. “So, when you’re driving down the road, you can see the description of the vehicle, the license plate.”

And someone with FDOT is always monitoring interstate cameras at the traffic management center.

”If a citizen calls in and reports, ‘Hey I see the van, the car, the truck, whatever it is,” Burch said. ”We can use the cameras to try and find it, follow it with the camera.”

FDOT also tracks cars that pass through the Florida Turnpike

“There are shots that are taken of license plates that go through there,” Burch said.

Drivers are still hoping someone who saw the white van connected to the missing baby comes forward

”It definitely could help out,” said Sheldon Perry in Fort Myers.

We asked FDOT if investigators can review the FDOT traffic cams for the possibility of catching the suspected vehicle’s movements. But officials said that’s not possible, and recording from every camera would take up too much data.

The National AMBER Alert system said transportation groups such as FDOT help with investigations. As of September of last year, 967 children have been successfully recovered through the AMBER Alert system.

”I really hope that they find them, the baby and the man,” Drew said.