The number of children who are missing or have run away in Ohio is almost double that of states with similar populations.
In total, 1,072 children in Ohio have been reported missing since January 2023.
Forty-five children were reported missing since the beginning of September.
Although many of the children have either returned or been found, the rate of children going missing is above average.
“For some reason, in 2023, we’ve seen a lot more than we normally see, which is troubling in part because we don’t know what’s going on with some of these kids,” said Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy, adding that the children may be trafficked, involved in gangs, or drug activity.
Majoy explained that many of the missing minors are likely runaways, not victims of predators.
“I am fearful of all kinds of things that fall through the cracks that include missing children,” said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
“I rely on the tenacity of a worried parent more than I do a harried bureaucrat whose job it is to put data into a computer.”
Reporting from The Daily Mail:
According to Yost, the University of Toledo is now working to improve the statewide data collection and reporting systems. He continued: "Law enforcement can't be everywhere and can't see everything. "We rely on the people, the population because we have 11.7 million pairs of eyes out there that can keep an eye out."
