U.S. Marshals recover 79 missing children in massive Ohio operation

The U.S. Marshals Service concluded what the agency called the largest missing-child operation in Ohio’s history, recovering 79 children during a monthlong operation across the state.

In a news release on Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals said that Operation Meridian located and recovered the large group of missing and endangered children between the ages of 6 and 17.

Operation Meridian was conducted throughout August, combining the resources of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, WJW reported.

The circumstances surrounding the missing children ranged from suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, running away from home and other forms of endangerment, according to the television station.

“Every recovered child represents a life pulled back from danger,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement.

One case involved two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who had been reported missing from the Columbus area in July 2024 and April 2026, according to the news release. Marshals and police in Columbus followed leads to a home in Lockbourne, where authorities discovered the 13-year-old girl concealed in a basement crawlspace hidden beneath the floor of a bedroom closet.

The mother of the girls was arrested for an outstanding warrant through Franklin County for probation violation, the news release stated. During the recovery and arrest, officers were able to gain more information about the second missing girl. She was located later in the day at a restaurant in Columbus.

Marshals worked with local authorities to find missing children in other cities, such as Akron, Cleveland and Toledo.

Agents from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development also assisted in the statewide operation.

“This action extends well beyond fighting waste, fraud, and abuse, it is about protecting vulnerable children in association with HUD-assisted housing,” Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice said in a statement. “Let this serve as an unmistakable message, there will be no sanctuary for those who prey upon or endanger the vulnerable and we will bring the full weight of our investigative authority, alongside the U.S. Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners, to find those responsible, protect residents, and hold offenders accountable.”

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