The number of missing and runaway children in Ohio for 2023 is nearly double that of states with similar populations, sparking panic among parents and police who in some towns can’t keep up with the number of teenagers running away.
In this month alone, 45 children have been reported missing in the Cleveland area. They join the total number of 1,072 who have been reported missing since the start of the year.
While the majority have since returned home or been accounted for, cops say many are regular runaways who will likely vanish again. They say the rate of children going missing and running away in 2023 is unusually high.
In 2022, Ohio had nearly double the number of runaways than states like Georgia, North Carolina, and Illinois, all of which have populations of between 10 million and 12 million.
According to the Ohio Attorney General’s office, there are now over 45 missing minors in the greater Cleveland area. All have been reported as missing since September 1. They join the total number of 1,072 kids who have been reported missing by their loved ones in the area since the start of the year.
While police say most are likely runaways, they are struggling to keep up with the demand of anxious parents wanting to find their kids. Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy said earlier this year that cases of missing children between the ages of 12 and 17 remained unusually high.
‘For some reason, in 2023, we’ve seen a lot more than we normally see, which is troubling in part because we don’t know what’s going on with some of these kids.
‘Whether they’re being trafficked or whether they’re involved in gang activity or drugs.’ Sherice Snoden, whose 15-year-old son Keshaun is missing, said yesterday at a community search for him: ‘It’s been over forty days without my child. I just want him back home.
‘I miss my child everyday, I am worried, I don’t know if he is eating or sleeping. I just want him back home.’ Majoy told News5 Cleveland: ‘There’s just not enough police officers in the streets to do this as law enforcement.
‘The public is our greatest asset. We can’t do this without the public.’ Other missing children include 14-year-old Gideon Hefner, who was last seen on September 12 in American Township, Ohio. According to the missing child report, he was wearing a dark colored shirt, jeans, black beanie and carrying a back pack at the time.
Camryn Nicole Golias, 17, was last seen in Akron, Ohio, on September 2023 but still remains missing. Similarly, 16-year-old Elijah Hill disappeared on September 20 from Sandusky, Ohio, and hasn’t been seen since.
Meanwhile, Iyahna Graham, 17, vanished from North Canton, Ohio, on September 23. Police have also advised that if located she should be approached with caution.
Days prior to Graham going missing, Teonnah Thompkins was last seen in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 17, wearing a black shirt, black pants and white shoes.
Maurice Hamrick, 14, Honesty Howell, 16, Elijah Hill, 16, and Chloe Hadley, 17, all disappeared within five days of each other earlier this month also. A similar pattern started in May of this year, with as many as 27 children reported missing in the area at the beginning of the month.
