Colleagues, family, and friends gathered this weekend to honor the lives of FBI Special Agents Laura Schwartzenberger and Daniel Alfin, who were killed in the line of duty February 2, 2021, in Sunrise, Florida, while serving a federal search warrant in a crimes against children investigation.
Memorial services were held Saturday and Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Law enforcement officers escorted the caskets to the stadium, where both agents were eulogized by FBI Director Christopher Wray. The services included an honor guard salute, a riderless horse, a pipe and drum corps, and a helicopter flyover. Director Wray also presented the American flags that had draped the caskets to the agents’ families.
“On Tuesday, we lost not one of our own, but two,” Wray said at the services. “Two warriors who took on one of the hardest jobs in the FBI, crimes against children. Two best friends who shared the same passion, the same determination, and—in spite of all they had witnessed in their extraordinary careers—the same sense of optimism and hope that comes from work that matters.”
We will always honor and remember our fallen FBI Family members. And in the words of Director Wray, “We take inspiration from their example and the sacrifices they heroically made for all of us.”
Remembering Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger
Laura Schwartzenberger joined the FBI in 2005 and first worked in the Albuquerque Field Office. In 2007, she became the first female FBI SWAT team member in Albuquerque. In 2010, she transferred to the Miami Field Office to work crimes against children cases.
Schwartzenberger was passionate about keeping children safe online, often giving talks to parents on the topic.
She is survived by her husband and two sons.
Remembering Special Agent Daniel Alfin
Daniel Alfin joined the FBI in 2009 and first worked in the Albany Field Office. In 2014, he went to work in the Crimes Against Children Unit at FBI Headquarters, before transferring to the Miami Field Office in 2017.
Alfin was remembered for his technical skill and persistence. He received the Director’s Award, the highest honor an FBI employee can receive, for an investigation that took down a child sexual exploitation site on the dark web.
He is survived by his wife and son.
Additional photos can be viewed here.
SOURCE: FBI