US Marshals Recover 79 Missing Children in Ohio's Largest Child-Recovery Operation on Record

The U.S. Marshals Service announced Tuesday, September 8, that a monthlong operation across Ohio located and recovered 79 reported missing and endangered children, ages 6 to 17, calling it the largest such operation in the state's history.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott, who covers Northern Ohio, and U.S. Marshal Michael Black, who covers Southern Ohio, announced the conclusion of Operation Meridian, which ran throughout August. The cases involved suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, runaways, and other forms of endangerment, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

"Using the same resources and methods we have the ability to seek and recover missing and endangered children," Black said, describing the tactics as an extension of the fugitive task forces the Marshals normally use to hunt violent fugitives. "We are proud to be able to assist our law enforcement partners in locating and reuniting missing children with their families."

Investigators worked with police departments in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo, plus state and federal partners, and at least one out-of-state agency, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky. Some children were tracked as far away as Georgia, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Two Sisters Found in Lockbourne and Columbus

One of the operation's central cases involved two sisters, ages 13 and 16, reported missing separately in July 2024 and April 2026. Marshals working with Columbus police found the younger girl concealed in a basement crawlspace hidden beneath the floor of a bedroom closet at a home in the 900 block of Hibbs Road in Lockbourne, south of Columbus.

The girls' mother was arrested on an outstanding Franklin County warrant for a probation violation, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Information gathered during that recovery led officers to the 16-year-old later the same day, at a restaurant in the 600 block of Harrisburg Pike in Columbus.

No additional charges tied to the girls' disappearance have been announced as of this reporting. The U.S. Marshals Service statement identifies only the probation-violation warrant as the basis for the mother's arrest.

Toledo Trafficking Case Still Under Investigation

A separate case, reported by NTD, involved a 16-year-old girl reported missing to Toledo police on August 18 who had previously been identified as a human trafficking victim. Investigators followed leads across Ohio and Michigan before finding her with an adult man at an address on Woodward Avenue in Toledo.

The girl received medical care and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The adult man on scene was interviewed, and local law enforcement in Toledo is investigating potential criminal activity, the agency said. No charges have been announced in that case as of Tuesday.

HUD Agents and a Broader Fraud Warning

Agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also took part in the operation statewide. HUD Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice framed the involvement as tied to protecting children in HUD-assisted housing, not just financial oversight.

"This action extends well beyond fighting waste, fraud, and abuse, it is about protecting vulnerable children in associated with HUD-assisted housing," Rice said, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. "There will be no sanctuary for those who prey upon or endanger the vulnerable."

Amanda Berry's Role, and a Loose End on Bernie Kosar

Amanda Berry, the Cleveland woman who escaped in 2013 after being held captive for roughly a decade, worked with the Marshals ahead of the operation. Elliott said Berry addressed the team beforehand and told them "to treat every missing child like they were our own," crediting that message for the operation's success.

The Daily Signal's account names former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar as having "a role" in the operation, but does not specify what that role was. No other outlet covering the announcement, including the U.S. Marshals Service's own release, mentions Kosar's involvement. That detail remains unconfirmed outside the single report.

What's Still Unclear

The U.S. Marshals Service has not released a breakdown of how many of the 79 recovered children fell into each category: trafficking, abuse, neglect, or runaway cases. The operation's scale specifically for trafficking versus other endangerment remains undefined. Children and Family Services is coordinating ongoing medical, psychological, and reunification support for the recovered children, according to WOSU, but the agency has not said how many families have been fully reunited versus placed in interim custody. The Toledo case involving the adult man found with the trafficking victim remains an open investigation with no charges filed as of Tuesday.