Nearly 80 missing children recovered by U.S. Marshals, local partners across Ohio

The U.S. Marshals Service carried out the largest missing-child operation in Ohio history, recovering nearly 80 children who were reported missing or endangered, federal authorities said.

U.S. Marshals, working with federal, state and local partners, successfully located 79 children across the state last month, according to a news release. The coordinated effort, named Operation Meridian, involved investigating cases of missing, endangered or exploited children between the ages of 6 and 17 years old.

The cases included suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, runaways and other forms of endangerment, officials said. In one particularly disturbing case in Columbus, investigators found a 13-year-old girl hidden in a basement crawlspace under the floor of a bedroom closet, according to officials.

“We are proud to be able to assist our law enforcement partners in locating and reuniting missing children with their families,” U.S. Marshal Michael Black said in a release.

The Columbus case was a long-term missing child case involving two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who were reported missing in July 2024 and April 2026, FOX 8 News reported.

U.S. Marshals in Southern Ohio worked with the Columbus Police Department to investigate what happened to the siblings, officials said.

The 13-year-old girl was found hidden under the floor of a bedroom closet in a home on Hibbs Road in Lockbourne. Authorities found the missing 16-year-old at a restaurant on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus. The girl’s mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant for a probation violation in Franklin County, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Authorities also found a missing Springfield teen 263 days after she was reported missing in the home of her former high school science teacher. The 16-year-old was last seen in early December 2025, when she ran away from Huckleberry House in Columbus.

On Aug. 21, Springfield police and an officer with the US Marshals’ special task force went to the home of Jobe Binkley and found the teenager alive inside. According to Binkley’s personnel file obtained by ABC 6, he is a former teacher with the Springfield City School District and was placed on administrative leave in November 2024.

In another case out of Toledo, a 16-year-old girl was reported missing Aug. 18 to the Toledo Police Department. The teen previously had been reported as a victim of human trafficking.

Investigators pursued leads in the Toledo area and into Michigan, gathering intel on an adult male the girl may have been with. Police found the girl and the adult male at a Toledo home.

The girl received medical care, and the adult male is under investigation for potential criminal activity, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Operation Meridian took place throughout August and involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Investigators worked across jurisdictional lines and located children as far away as Georgia.

The U.S. Marshals Service typically locates and arrests violent fugitives. The agency used the same resources and methods to search for the missing and endangered children, officials said.

“Every recovered child represents a life pulled back from danger,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said.

Elliott praised the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and community partners who “worked tirelessly to bring our missing and most vulnerable children to safety.”

Amanda Berry, a kidnapping survivor who was held captive in a Cleveland home for years, offered her support and expertise throughout Operation Meridian.

“She told them to treat every missing child like they were our own, and that’s what the men and women of the United States Marshal Service and our partners did,” Elliott added. “That is why this operation was such a success.”

Investigators worked directly with local police in the communities where the children were reported missing, including Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo.

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development was also involved, since subsidized housing serves families living in poverty. The public housing complexes are easy targets for drug and human traffickers.

“This action extends well beyond fighting waste, fraud, and abuse,” Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice said. “It is about protecting vulnerable children in associated with HUD-assisted housing.”

Now that the children have been located, Ohio’s Children and Family Services will assist with medical, psychological and social services.

“Recovery by law enforcement is only the first step,” the U.S. Marshals Service said. “These organizations provide ongoing support including trauma-informed counseling, family reunification services, and long-term case management when needed.”