PITTSBURGH, PA – Nearly 80 children reported missing in Ohio were found during a statewide law enforcement push, the U.S. Marshals Service said Tuesday. Authorities said 79 children ages 6 to 17 who had been listed as missing and endangered were recovered during Operation Meridian, a monthlong effort that brought together federal, state and local agencies across August.
The Marshals Service said the operation was the largest missing-child effort in Ohio history. The cases included children reported missing for a range of reasons, including suspected sex trafficking, abuse, neglect and runaway situations.
Once the children were recovered, officials said they were connected with medical, psychological and social service support.
Sisters missing for months were found in separate central Ohio locations
Two of the recovered children were sisters, ages 13 and 16, whose disappearances stretched back months. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the younger girl had been missing since July 2024, while the older sister had been missing since April 2026.
Authorities said the 13-year-old was discovered hidden in a basement crawlspace beneath the floor of a bedroom closet at a home on Hibbs Road in Lockbourne. The girl’s mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant tied to a probation violation.
During the same investigation, officials said they later found the missing 16-year-old at a restaurant on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus. The Marshals Service did not say whether anyone else was charged in connection with either recovery.
Teen believed trafficked was found with man in Toledo
In another case, a 16-year-old girl who authorities believed may have been a victim of human trafficking was found with a man on Woodward Avenue in Toledo. The U.S. Marshals Service said the girl was taken to a hospital after she was recovered.
Local law enforcement is investigating possible criminal activity in that case, officials said. The Marshals Service did not identify the man or provide additional details about his relationship to the teen.
The recovery was one of the cases that showed the breadth of the operation, which focused on children who had been reported missing under very different circumstances but were still considered endangered by investigators.
Operation Meridian brought together agencies across the state
Operation Meridian ran through the month of August and involved federal, state and local law enforcement working together to locate missing children across Ohio. The Marshals Service said the coordinated push was designed to find children quickly and connect them with the support they needed after recovery.
Authorities described the operation as the largest of its kind in state history. That label reflected both the number of children found and the scale of the collaboration behind the effort.
Officials said the children were reported missing in a variety of situations, including suspected exploitation, family instability and runaway cases. The operation was built around the idea that each child needed to be treated as a priority, regardless of the circumstances behind the disappearance.
Recovered children were routed to medical and social services
After the recoveries, officials said the children were connected with medical, psychological and social service agencies. The goal was not only to locate them, but also to make sure they were assessed and supported after being found.
That kind of follow-up can be critical in missing-child cases, especially when authorities suspect trafficking, abuse or neglect. The Marshals Service said the recovered children were treated as vulnerable and potentially in need of immediate help.
Law enforcement said the cases varied widely, but the response was the same: find the child, secure the scene, and connect the young person with the right services as quickly as possible.
Marshal says officers were told to treat each case as if it were their own child
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said officers were directed to handle every missing-child case with urgency and personal concern. “Every recovered child represents a life pulled back from danger,” Elliott said in a news release.
His remarks framed the operation as both a law-enforcement effort and a rescue mission. The scale of the recoveries, combined with the ages of the children involved, underscored why investigators pushed the operation across the state for an entire month.
Officials did not say whether additional recoveries are expected, but they said the August sweep showed the value of coordinated work among agencies when missing children are believed to be in danger.
