Missing Ohio Teen Found Alive After 263 Days at Former Teacher’s Home

A 16-year-old Ohio girl who had been missing for 263 days has been found alive, bringing a dramatic end to a months-long search.

The teenager was reported missing on December 2, 2025, after leaving a youth support facility in Columbus. For more than eight months, her whereabouts remained unknown.

On August 21, 2026, Springfield police and an agent with a U.S. Marshals task force located the girl at a home in Springfield, Ohio, where she was found alive.

The home belonged to 48-year-old Jobe Binkley, a former high school science teacher in the Springfield City School District.

According to court records, authorities had previously gone to Binkley’s home twice while searching for the missing teenager. Investigators say Binkley refused to allow them inside and told police that the girl was not there, despite allegedly knowing that she had been reported missing.

The teenager was eventually located at the residence months later, ending the extensive search for her.

Binkley was subsequently arrested and charged with interference with custody, a first-degree misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on bond.

The circumstances surrounding why the teenager was at Binkley’s home and how long she had been there have not been fully disclosed.

Authorities have not publicly released additional details about the teenager’s condition or whether anyone else could face charges in connection with the case.

For her family and those involved in the search, finding the girl alive after 263 days marked a significant breakthrough in a case that had remained unresolved for much of the year.

The criminal case against Binkley remains ongoing, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.

Source: WRGT