Federal, state and local authorities located or recovered 79 missing and endangered children across Ohio during a monthlong operation that the U.S. Marshals Service says was the largest missing-child operation in the state’s history.
The children, ranging in age from 6 to 17, were found during Operation Meridian, an August initiative involving dozens of law enforcement agencies across Ohio and several federal agencies. According to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Sept. 8 announcement, investigators pursued cases involving suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, runaways and other circumstances in which children were considered endangered. Some investigations crossed state lines, with children located as far away as Georgia.
“The United States Marshals Service, through its fugitive task forces, locates and arrests the most violent fugitives in our communities,” U.S. Marshal Michael Black said in the agency’s announcement. “Using the same resources and methods we have the ability to seek and recover missing and endangered children.”
Black said the Marshals were “proud to be able to assist our law enforcement partners in locating and reuniting missing children with their families.”
The operation brought together police and sheriff’s departments from across Ohio along with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General, among others. Local reporting on the operation also confirmed authorities worked across jurisdictional lines during the searches.
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Girl found concealed beneath bedroom closet
Among the most striking cases disclosed by authorities involved two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who had been missing for different lengths of time.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service account of the investigation, the younger girl had been reported missing in July 2024, while her older sister was reported missing in April 2026. Marshals working with Columbus police followed leads to a home on Hibbs Road in Lockbourne, south of Columbus. There, investigators discovered the 13-year-old concealed in a basement crawlspace hidden beneath the floor of a bedroom closet.
Authorities arrested the girls’ mother on an outstanding Franklin County probation-violation warrant. Information investigators obtained during the recovery subsequently led them to the 16-year-old, who was found later that day at a restaurant on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus. The Columbus Dispatch reported that the sisters were among the 79 children located during the operation.
“This action extends well beyond fighting waste, fraud, and abuse,” HUD Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice said. “It is about protecting vulnerable children” associated with HUD-assisted housing.
Rice warned those who might prey on vulnerable children that “there will be no sanctuary,” adding that investigators would work with the Marshals and other law enforcement agencies to “find those responsible, protect residents, and hold offenders accountable.”
Authorities also disclosed a separate case involving a 16-year-old Toledo girl who had previously been identified as a human-trafficking victim. She was reported missing Aug. 18, prompting Toledo police and the Marshals-led SPEAR Unit to investigate leads in Ohio and Michigan.
Investigators eventually identified an adult man the girl might have been with and found the pair at a Toledo residence. According to the Marshals Service, the girl received medical care and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. The man was interviewed, and local authorities are investigating possible criminal activity.
Amanda Berry joins effort to bring missing children home
Operation Meridian also included an unusual participant with firsthand experience of what a missing-child investigation can mean: Amanda Berry, one of three Cleveland women who escaped in 2013 after being held captive for years.
Berry participated in Operation Meridian through her work drawing attention to missing-person cases and addressed investigators before the searches began.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in the agency’s announcement that Berry gave investigators a simple instruction: “treat every missing child like they were our own.” Elliott said that was exactly how participating officers approached the operation.
“I am very proud of our dedicated law enforcement, community and media partners who worked tirelessly to bring our missing and most vulnerable children to safety,” Elliott said.
“Every recovered child represents a life pulled back from danger,” he added.
Finding the children, however, was only part of the operation. Authorities worked with Children and Family Services and other organizations to connect recovered children with medical care, psychological assistance and social services. The Marshals Service said those services can include trauma-informed counseling, family reunification assistance and long-term case management.
“Recovery by law enforcement is only the first step,” the agency said.
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