79 MISSING CHILDREN FOUND IN OHIO — AND SOME WERE DISCOVERED IN SHOCKING CIRCUMSTANCES

A monthlong operation has brought 79 missing and endangered children back to safety — including two sisters who vanished years apart and a teenager investigators believed had been at risk of human trafficking.

Authorities in Ohio have announced the recovery of 79 children between the ages of 6 and 17 during what the U.S. Marshals Service describes as the largest missing-child operation in Ohio history.

Called Operation Meridian, the statewide effort was carried out throughout August with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to locate children reported missing or endangered.

The cases involved a range of circumstances, including suspected human trafficking, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, runaway cases and other forms of endangerment. Investigators followed leads across jurisdictional lines, even locating children as far away as Georgia.

TWO SISTERS — AND A HIDDEN BASEMENT

One of the most striking cases involved two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who had been reported missing in July 2024 and April 2026.

Working with Columbus police, U.S. Marshals followed leads to a home in Lockbourne.

There, investigators found the 13-year-old concealed inside a basement crawlspace beneath the floor of a bedroom closet.

The girls’ mother was arrested on an outstanding Franklin County warrant for an alleged probation violation.

During the investigation surrounding the younger girl’s recovery, authorities obtained information that helped them locate her 16-year-old sister later that same day.

The older girl was found at a restaurant in Columbus.

ANOTHER TEEN WAS FOUND WITH AN ADULT MAN

Another case involved a 16-year-old girl who had previously been reported as a victim of human trafficking.

She was reported missing to Toledo police on August 18.

Investigators from Toledo police and the U.S. Marshals-led SPEAR Unit followed leads through Ohio and into Michigan before identifying an adult man the girl might be with.

Authorities eventually located the teenager and the man at a Toledo residence.

The girl received medical care and was transported to a hospital for evaluation. The man was interviewed, while local authorities continued investigating possible criminal activity.

Officials have not said that all 79 children were trafficking victims. The cases involved many different circumstances, including suspected trafficking, abuse, neglect, runaway situations and other forms of danger.

THE OPERATION INVOLVED DOZENS OF AGENCIES

Operation Meridian brought together a large network of law enforcement partners, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, local police departments and sheriff’s offices, the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and others.

The U.S. Marshals Service also said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general investigators assisted with the operation.

Once children were located, authorities worked with Children and Family Services to connect them with medical, psychological and social-service support.

Officials said recovery was only the first step, with services potentially including trauma-informed counseling, family reunification assistance and long-term case management.

AMANDA BERRY HAD A MESSAGE FOR INVESTIGATORS

The operation also included Amanda Berry, who disappeared in Cleveland as a teenager and was held captive for nearly a decade before escaping in 2013.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Berry spoke to investigators before the operation and urged them to treat every missing child as if they were their own.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott later said the law enforcement teams followed that message throughout the operation.

“Every recovered child represents a life pulled back from danger,” Elliott said.

79 CHILDREN — 79 STORIES

Behind the headline number are dozens of individual cases involving children who had disappeared from their families, schools and communities.

Some were believed to be running away.

Others were considered endangered because of abuse, neglect or suspected exploitation.

And in some cases, investigators had been searching for children for months or even years.

Operation Meridian shows how quickly a missing-child investigation can cross jurisdictions — and how federal, state and local agencies can combine resources to locate vulnerable children.

For the 79 children recovered in Ohio, however, the search did not end when investigators found them.

Authorities say the next step is helping each child reach a place where they can begin rebuilding their lives.

Seventy-nine children were found. And for 79 families, the waiting finally ended.