A monthlong operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service found 79 reported missing and endangered children across Ohio, officials announced on Sept. 8, calling it the "largest missing child operation" in state history.
The children, ranging in age from 6 to 17, were found during "Operation Meridian," a monthlong effort conducted in August, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The agency, which is usually tasked with finding and arresting fugitives, worked with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate missing and endangered children across Ohio.
The operation focused on cases involving children reported missing as runaways or believed to be victims of sex trafficking, abuse, neglect or other forms of endangerment, the U.S.
Marshals Service said in a news release. Investigators followed leads across jurisdictional lines in Ohio, locating children from communities throughout the state, including some found 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 a statement. "Using the same resources and methods, we have the ability to seek and recover missing and endangered children."
The operation involved dozens of agencies, including local police departments, sheriff's offices, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General.
Operation included missing sisters, teen previously identified as trafficking victim
Among the cases cited by authorities was the search for two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who had been reported missing in separate incidents in July 2024 and April 2026.
The U.S. Marshals Service said it worked with the Columbus Police Department and found the 13-year-old girl hidden in a basement crawlspace beneath a bedroom closet floor at a home in Lockbourne, a community just south of Columbus, Ohio. The older sister was recovered later the same day at a restaurant in Columbus.
Their mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant for a probation violation through Franklin County, the agency said.
In another case, a 16-year-old girl reported missing in Toledo, Ohio, on Aug. 18 was found after investigators tracked leads in Ohio and Michigan. The U.S. Marshals Service said the teen previously had been reported as a victim of human trafficking.
She was discovered at a Toledo residence and taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, according to the agency. A man found with her was interviewed, and local authorities are investigating possible criminal activity.
The U.S. Marshals Service said law enforcement agencies coordinated with child welfare organizations and social service providers to connect all the located children with medical care, counseling, family reunification services, and other support.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: US Marshals find 79 missing, endangered children in Ohio operation
