MISSION STATEMENT
The Shepherd Project is a discovery and research-based initiative specializing in Cyber Safety and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). It exists to support iCare and the organization’s primary mission to prevent exploitation, intervene in cases of trafficking and abuse, and help survivors rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
OUR STORY
In the fall of 2025, the iCare team came together to find a way to bridge the gap between the intervention and the restoration steps for the children and young women we serve who go missing. Out of that vision, The Shepherd Project was born and officially launched in early 2026 as a specialized initiative focused on supporting the recovery and protection of our vulnerable clients. At its conception, the project specialized in both digital safety as well as open-source intelligence (OSINT), a discipline that focuses on collecting crucial information through publicly available data sources on the internet and aimed to support law enforcement efforts in missing child cases.
At this stage, the program is intentionally focused on individuals within iCare’s restoration programs. We have a vision to expand our support to the many other missing child cases that occur in the CSRA, but until we are able to support a larger team and funding for those operations, our goal is to build a responsive program that reflects both professional excellence and Christ-centered care for those entrusted to us.
OUR THREE MISSIONS
DIGITAL SAFETY EDUCATION
MISSING CHILD SUPPORT
COMMERCIAL SEX DEMAND REDUCTION
DIGITAL SAFETY EDUCATION
Understanding the digital landscape is no longer optional for those tasked with protecting our youth; it is a fundamental requirement. The core of the Shepherd Project’s training focuses on both simple software fixes to also addressing the core principles of making a mature digital citizen. Our primary objectives include the following datapoints:
- Conduct data-driven research on human trafficking trends, demographics, and risk factors in our local and regional area.
- Produce community awareness reports and educational materials to inform the public on digital safety, trafficking prevention, and patterns of exploitation observed in open-source data.
MISSING CHILD SUPPORT
WHY A MISSING-CHILD SUPPORT TEAM?
The team at iCare is dedicated to finding ways to support the women and children who come through our doors with care that not only restores them out of their vulnerable state but also encourages them towards healthier and holistic healing. Many of the individuals in our care face deeply ingrained fight-or-flight responses as a result of past trauma, making them especially vulnerable to returning to harmful environments. As a result, this program exists to respond to these critical moments with intentional care and support. The Shepherd Project officially launched in early 2026, and within the first three months has already supported two missing persons cases collaborating across city, county, and federal law enforcement agencies. It also successfully trained three new analysts in OSINT fundamentals through its own in-house training curriculum.
OUR PROCESS
The Shepherd Project employs Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) to support local law enforcement entities in finding runaway and missing children enrolled within the iCare restoration program. Once we obtain notice of a client's disappearance, we immediately make contact with the client's parents/ legal guardians and the lead investigator assigned to the case to ensure all parties involved are aware and open to our participation in the search. All leads and findings discovered through our OSINT methods are compiled into structured, factual intelligence reports and shared with all relevant law enforcement agencies or authorized partner organizations to enable rapid recovery.
Obtain details surrounding missing client's disappearance
Establish contact with lead investigator assigned to the case
2 week OSINT-intensive "Activation" period begins
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What is OSINT?
Open-Source Intelligence (or OSINT) is an analytical discipline that focuses on obtaining crucial pieces of information solely through publicly available or "open" sources on the internet. This information is then crafted into an intelligence report that is provided to officials who can use it to accurately and effectively respond appropriately to a situation.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
PUBLIC
All information collected in support of iCare-related OSINT projects will be gained through publicly available and lawfully sourced databases and resources. We respect all privacy laws and ensure they are enforced in all activities.
PROFESSIONAL
We do not perform OSINT work that substitutes or competes with law enforcement efforts. Any investigative work related to missing persons cases will always work with and in support of law enforcement objectives and efforts, not apart from them.
PRECISE
All collected information will be reviewed, vetted, and sourced to ensure every report and shared piece of intelligence meets our high level of accuracy, relevancy, and timeliness for law enforcement.
THE CYBER TEAMS
(Commercial Sex Demand Reduction Effort)
In 2026, iCare partnered with the non-profit organization Street Grace to bring Transaction Intercept to the CSRA, a revolutionary A.I. program that directly targets the demand of commercial sex services in the local area. Transaction Intercept works to find the buyers of minor sex, remove the cloak of anonymity, and disrupt potential transactions.
Transaction Intercept enables volunteers to chat with these individuals using an artificial intelligence chatbot named Gracie. Once intent to purchase is confirmed, their data is recorded and a powerful warning is issued along with a call to change via direct conversation and provision of resources.
You can learn more about this powerful capability developed by Microsoft and employed by Street Grace and law enforcement across the United States by visiting their site here.