Overview
- The U.S. Marshals announced Tuesday that Operation Meridian, a monthlong August effort, recovered 79 reported missing children across Ohio.
- Officials said the children ranged in age from about 7 to 17 and had been missing for reasons that included suspected sex trafficking, abuse, neglect and runaways.
- Federal marshals worked with local police in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati, agents from HUD and nearby jurisdictions to find the children.
- Law enforcement highlighted cases that included two sisters found in Lockbourne and Columbus and a 16-year-old in Toledo who had been reported as a trafficking victim; some arrests and criminal investigations are underway.
- After recovery, agencies connected children to hospital care, trauma-informed counseling and family services, and officials signaled the operation may expand the use of fugitive-task-force methods for child recovery work.