The U.S. Marshals Service says 79 reported missing and endangered children were located or recovered across Ohio during a statewide operation that included work by Southern Ohio investigators.
The operation was called Operation Meridian and took place throughout August.
U.S. Marshals Pete Elliott of Northern Ohio and Michael Black of Southern Ohio announced the results, saying the missing children ranged in age from 6 to 17.
To be clear, this does not mean 79 children were found in one place.
It also does not mean there was one mass kidnapping case.
Instead, investigators worked dozens of separate missing-child cases across Ohio. The children had been reported missing under different circumstances, including suspected sex trafficking, abuse, neglect, runaway situations, and other forms of endangerment.
Some children were located in Ohio. Others were found as far away as Georgia.
U.S. Marshal Michael Black said the same tools used to track violent fugitives can also be used to help find missing and endangered children.
“The United States Marshals Service, through its fugitive task forces, locates and arrests the most violent fugitives in our communities,” Black said. “Using the same resources and methods we have the ability to seek and recover missing and endangered children.”
One of the Southern Ohio-linked cases involved two missing sisters, ages 13 and 16.
During the operation, U.S. Marshals in Southern Ohio worked with Columbus police on the long-term missing-child case. One girl had been reported missing in July 2024, while the other had been reported missing in April 2026.
Investigators followed leads and located the 13-year-old concealed in a basement crawlspace hidden under the floor of a bedroom closet at a home on Hibbs Road in Lockbourne.
The girls’ mother was arrested on an outstanding Franklin County probation violation warrant.
During the recovery and arrest, officers gathered more information about the second missing girl. She was later recovered at a restaurant on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus.
Another case involved a 16-year-old girl reported missing to Toledo police on Aug. 18. Authorities said she had previously been reported as a human trafficking victim.
Toledo police and the U.S. Marshals-led SPEAR Unit worked leads in Ohio and Michigan before locating the girl and an adult male at a Toledo address. The girl was taken for medical care and evaluation, and local law enforcement is investigating possible criminal activity.
The Marshals Service said investigators worked directly with local agencies in cities where children had been reported missing, including Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo.
Agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also assisted.
Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice said the effort was about protecting vulnerable children connected with HUD-assisted housing and warned there would be “no sanctuary” for those who prey on or endanger vulnerable people.
Officials said finding the children is only the first step.
Law enforcement worked with Children and Family Services to connect recovered children with medical care, counseling, social services, family reunification help, and long-term case management when needed.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said every recovered child represented “a life pulled back from danger.”
He also credited Amanda Berry, who survived years in captivity in Cleveland, for addressing the team before the operation.
Elliott said Berry told investigators to treat every missing child like their own.
According to Elliott, that is exactly what the U.S. Marshals Service and its partners tried to do.