US Marshals Find 79 Missing and Endangered Children During Historic Operation
The U.S. Marshals Service has located and recovered 79 missing and endangered children in Ohio during a monthlong operation described as the largest missing-child operation in the state’s history.
Operation Meridian was conducted throughout August with the assistance of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The children recovered ranged in age from 6 to 17 and had been reported missing under a variety of circumstances, authorities said.
Those circumstances included suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, runaway cases and other forms of endangerment.
Investigators worked across jurisdictional lines during the operation, following leads throughout Ohio and beyond.
In some cases, the investigation extended as far away as Georgia as authorities worked to locate children who had been reported missing in Ohio, WSYX-TV reported.
U.S. Marshal Michael Black said the Marshals Service relied on resources and investigative methods normally used by fugitive task forces.
The agency’s fugitive task forces are routinely responsible for locating some of the nation’s most dangerous fugitives.
Black said those same capabilities could be used to find children who were missing or believed to be in danger.
“We are proud to be able to assist our law enforcement partners in locating and reuniting missing children with their families,” Black said.
One of the cases involved two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who had been reported missing at different times, according to authorities.
The 13-year-old was reported missing in July 2024, while the 16-year-old was reported missing in April 2026.
Investigators working with the Columbus Police Department followed leads that eventually led them to a home in Lockbourne, Ohio.
Authorities found the 13-year-old concealed in a basement crawlspace hidden beneath the floor of a bedroom closet, according to officials.
The girl’s mother was arrested on an outstanding Franklin County warrant related to a probation violation, authorities said.
Investigators then learned more about the whereabouts of the older sister and later found her at a restaurant in Columbus.
Another case involved a 16-year-old girl who had previously been reported as a victim of human trafficking and was reported missing on Aug. 18.
The U.S. Marshals and the Toledo Police Department’s SPEAR Unit pursued leads in the Toledo area and Michigan before identifying an adult male the girl was believed to be with.
Authorities eventually located the girl and the man at a residence on Woodward Avenue in Toledo.
The operation also involved federal partners, including agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as investigators pursued leads connected to federally assisted housing.
The U.S. Marshals Service worked with police departments and other agencies in communities including Cleveland, Columbus, Akron, and Toledo during the effort.
Officials said the operation demonstrated the importance of agencies working together when children are reported missing or endangered.
Operation Meridian concluded after investigators located all 79 children included in the operation, authorities said.
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