A U.S. Marshals Service operation located 79 missing Ohio children, the agency said in a news release.
The U.S. Marshals, who typically handle finding and arresting fugitives, teamed up with federal, state and local police to find the missing and endangered children as part of “Operation Meridian” in August. The children ranged in age from 6 to 17.
The operation targeted missing children suspected of being runaways or victims of sex trafficking, abuse, neglect or other forms of endangerment. Authorities located the children as far away as Georgia.
In one case, marshals searched for two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who were reported missing from Columbus in 2024 and 2026, according to the news release.
Authorities found the 13-year-old girl in a hidden basement crawlspace in a home in Lockbourne, while the other girl was found at a restaurant on Columbus’ West Side. The girls’ mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant for a probation violation, according to the news release.
In another case, authorities found a 16-year-old girl missing from Toledo who was suspected to be a victim of human trafficking. They found her with an adult man in Toledo, who is under investigation for potential crimes, according to the news release.
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