06/25/2026
We are incredibly honored and grateful to have Sgt. Brace serving on Project HELP’s Board of Directors. Her unwavering commitment to protecting children, supporting victims, and pursuing justice reflects the compassion, courage, and integrity she brings to everything she does.
We also want to recognize and thank the entire Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force for the extraordinary work they do every day to protect children, combat child exploitation and human trafficking, and give victims a voice. Your dedication, resilience, and commitment to seeking justice make our community safer and bring hope to countless survivors. Thank you for your service and for standing with victims when they need it most. We are proud to partner with you. 💙
🇺🇸 250 Stories of Service: The Hardest Cases 🇺🇸
They see the images no one should have to see.
They hear the stories no one should have to hear.
And they do the work many could never imagine doing.
The job of a child exploitation/human trafficking detective is among the hardest at any agency. Day after day, they investigate crimes that expose them to the worst of humanity.
The work is often slow, complex and emotionally draining. It demands patience, relentless attention to detail and the ability to endure disturbing evidence and traumatic interviews over long periods.
Yet there are detectives who choose this path.
Why? Because for them, it’s about the victims.
“It’s about wanting to do something with purpose and meaning and to give children a voice,” said CCSO Detective Cari DePasquale, who has been investigating internet crimes against children since 2020.
Detective DePasquale left a thriving career at a contracting firm to pursue a calling: helping rescue children from exploitation. Her supervisor, Sgt. Natalie Brace, didn’t seek this path, but after a decade investigating crimes against children, she’s chosen to stay.
“While it can be difficult, I find it personally rewarding to work to protect the most vulnerable,” Sgt. Brace said. “When you make an arrest, you know you’ve made a difference.
Together, Sgt. Brace and Detective DePasquale, alongside Detective Michael Henry, Detective Julia Benitez and civilian investigators Mary McAlear, Samantha Pohlman, and Faith Roman, serve on the Southwest Florida INTERCEPT Task Force under the leadership of Lt. Wade Williams. The interagency partnership, led by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, is dedicated to combating child exploitation and human trafficking.
It can be difficult and often heartbreaking work.
But it is some of the most important work there is.
