79 MISSING CHILDREN FOUND ACROSS OHIO — INCLUDING A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL HIDDEN BENEATH A CLOSET FLOOR

A month-long law enforcement operation has uncovered a disturbing series of cases involving missing and endangered children across Ohio — and officials say the search is far from over.

Seventy-nine children reported missing or endangered have been located across Ohio during a massive statewide operation described by the U.S. Marshals Service as the largest missing-child operation in Ohio history.

Called Operation Meridian, the initiative brought together federal, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout August to locate children between the ages of 6 and 17 who had disappeared under a range of circumstances, including suspected trafficking, abuse, neglect, running away and other forms of endangerment.

But several individual recoveries revealed just how vulnerable some of the children had been.

A 13-Year-Old Found Beneath a Bedroom Closet

One of the most disturbing cases involved two sisters, ages 13 and 16.

The younger girl had reportedly been missing since July 2024.

Investigators working with Columbus police followed leads to a home on Hibbs Road in Lockbourne.

Inside the property, they discovered the 13-year-old concealed in a basement crawlspace beneath the floor of a bedroom closet.

The girls’ mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant related to a probation violation.

During the investigation and arrest, authorities obtained additional information that helped them locate the older sister, who had been reported missing in April 2026.

She was later found at a restaurant on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus.

Another Teen Found With an Adult Man

In another case, authorities located a 16-year-old girl who had previously been identified as a potential victim of human trafficking.

She had been reported missing on August 18.

Investigators followed leads across the Toledo area and into Michigan before identifying an adult man who authorities believed could be with the girl.

The teenager was ultimately found with the man on Woodward Avenue in Toledo.

She was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, while local authorities continued investigating possible criminal activity connected to the case.

Officials later said at least three girls under the age of 18 recovered during the operation had been found with adult men in circumstances investigators described as trafficking.

The Search Crossed State Lines

Operation Meridian did not stop at Ohio’s borders.

Investigators followed leads into other states, including Georgia and Michigan, as agencies worked together to locate children who had disappeared from their communities.

The operation involved a long list of federal, state and local agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio law enforcement agencies, local police departments and sheriff’s offices.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General also assisted investigators in some cases.

Finding Them Was Only the Beginning

Authorities stressed that recovering a missing child is not the end of the process.

Once located, the children were connected with medical, psychological and social-service organizations designed to provide continued support, trauma-informed counseling, family reunification assistance and long-term case management when needed.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said the operation’s goal was to treat every missing child as though they were their own.

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

Ohio Still Has Hundreds of Missing Children

Despite the 79 recoveries, officials warned that the problem remains enormous.

Pete Elliott said there are currently about 250 reported missing children in the Northern District of Ohio alone, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing investigators.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has also reported that families filed more than 15,000 missing-child reports statewide in 2025, while law enforcement identified 168 potential trafficking victims, including 39 children under 18.

Operation Meridian may have officially ended, but authorities say the work continues.

For the 79 children who were found, however, the operation meant something far more personal:

They were no longer missing. They were finally back within reach of the people and services trying to keep them safe.