79 MISSING CHILDREN FOUND ACROSS OHIO — AND ONE GIRL WAS DISCOVERED HIDDEN BENEATH A BEDROOM CLOSET

A massive law-enforcement operation across Ohio has ended with 79 missing and endangered children located — including cases involving suspected trafficking, abuse, neglect and children who had run away.

Operation Meridian, carried out throughout August, brought together the U.S. Marshals Service with federal, state and local agencies in what officials describe as the largest missing-child operation in Ohio history.

The children ranged in age from 6 to 17.

And some of the individual recoveries were deeply disturbing.

A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL FOUND HIDDEN IN A BASEMENT

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

The girls had been reported missing at different times — the younger sister in July 2024 and the older girl in April 2026.

Investigators working with Columbus police eventually followed leads to a home in Lockbourne.

There, authorities 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 probation-violation warrant.

During the investigation and recovery of the younger girl, officers obtained information that helped them locate her 16-year-old sister later that day at a restaurant in Columbus.

Both girls were recovered.

ANOTHER MISSING GIRL FOUND WITH AN ADULT MAN

Another case involved a 16-year-old girl reported missing in Toledo on August 18.

According to authorities, she had previously been reported as a victim of human trafficking.

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

They eventually located both of them at a Toledo residence.

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

Officials have stressed that the 79 cases were not all trafficking cases.

The operation involved children reported missing for a variety of reasons, including suspected trafficking, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, running away and other forms of endangerment.

THE SEARCH EXTENDED BEYOND OHIO

The investigation did not stop at state lines.

Authorities said investigators followed cases as far away as Georgia, while other leads extended into Michigan.

The operation relied on cooperation between dozens of agencies, including local police departments, sheriffs’ offices, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio BCI and other federal and state partners.

Officials said the goal was not simply to locate children, but to make sure they received help after being recovered.

Children and Family Services worked with authorities to connect the recovered children with medical, psychological and social-service organizations, including trauma-informed counseling and longer-term support when needed.

AMANDA BERRY HAD A MESSAGE FOR INVESTIGATORS

The operation also involved Amanda Berry, who was abducted in Cleveland and held captive for nearly a decade before escaping in 2013.

Berry spoke to members of the Operation Meridian team before the searches began.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said she urged investigators to treat every missing child as if they were their own.

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

79 CHILDREN — 79 STORIES

For authorities, Operation Meridian is being described as a major success.

But officials also emphasized that finding a missing child is only the beginning.

Each recovery can bring a different set of questions: Where had the child been? What had happened while they were missing? Who had been around them? And what support will they need afterward?

In one case, a teenage girl was found concealed beneath a bedroom closet.

In another, a girl previously identified as a trafficking victim was located with an adult man.

And across Ohio, dozens more children were brought back into contact with law enforcement and support services.

Seventy-nine children were located.

Now, authorities and child-welfare agencies face the next challenge: helping each one recover, rebuild and return to a safer life.