CLEVELAND, OH - As our southern border continues to be as porous as a screen door, word is coming out of Cleveland that some 45 children have gone missing in the city in September, the Daily Mail reported.
Moreover, over 1,000 have gone missing thus far this year in Ohio. It is unclear whether the open border has any connection to the high number of missing kids.
In comparison, North Carolina and Georgia, states with similar populations, have had less than 700 kids missing. Ohio police are concerned the children are either getting involved in gang activity or, more ominously, being trafficked. Some towns have reported being unable to keep up with the number of teens reported as missing.
Police report that while the majority have gone back home or otherwise accounted for, police say a number are routine runaways who may likely disappear again.
Ohio’s attorney general confirmed the number of missing Cleveland area children was 45 this September. That adds to the total number of missing Ohio children reported missing in 2023, which stood at 1,072. While police attribute most of the missing kids to being runaways, that doesn’t appear to be placating their parents.
In Newburgh Heights, Ohio, Police Chief John Majoy says the number of missing children between 12 and 17 years old remains extremely 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,” Chief Majoy said.
Parents remain extremely concerned over the issue.
“I miss my child every day, I am worried,” said Sherice Snoden, whose 15-year-old son Keshaun is missing. “It’s been over forty days without my child. I just want him back home.”
In an interview with News 5 Cleveland, Majoy admitted, “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.”
Another missing child is identified as 14-year-old Gideon Hefner, last ween on Sept. 12 in American Township, Ohio. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored shirt, jeans, a black beanie and carrying a backpack.
Other missing teens include 17-year-old Camryn Nicole Galas, last ween in Akron on Sept. 23, and Elijah Hill, 16, last seen on Sept. 20 in Sandusky, Ohio.
This past May, a similar pattern of missing children occurred, with 27 children being reported missing in the Cleveland area at the beginning of the month.
For Majoy, this is something he said he hasn’t seen in his 33-year career as a police officer. He said he also fears that while a majority of the cases are likely runaways, he noted teenagers can be naïve when it comes to predators, noting they can be “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
He also noted that many such incidents most missing children cases don’t make the news because an Amber Alert is typically not issued, saying the cases are “silent crimes happening right under our noses.”
“There are strict criteria for an Amber Alert," he said. "Police have to have reasonable belief there has been an abduction, and that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.”
In addition, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told News 5 Cleveland that there tend to be numerous inconsistencies throughout missing children cases, including the updating of reports.
“All of these things have localized reporting problems that are again a function of local conditions,” Yost said. “We do our best to encourage compliance and improve assistance to remove barriers, but at the end of the day, we have to rely on our local partners that we don’t control.
Yost said some things have a tendency to “fall through the cracks,” a problem that includes missing kids. “I rely on the tenacity of a worried parent more than I do a harried bureaucrat whose job is to put data into a computer,” Yost said.
There may be some hope, however. Yost said the University of Toledo is working on a program to improve statewide data collection and reporting on missing children while acknowledging that “law enforcement can’t be everywhere and can’t see anything.”
“We rely on the people, the population, because we have 11.7 million pairs of eyes out there that can keep an eye out,” he said.
Moreover, over 1,000 have gone missing thus far this year in Ohio. It is unclear whether the open border has any connection to the high number of missing kids.
In comparison, North Carolina and Georgia, states with similar populations, have had less than 700 kids missing. Ohio police are concerned the children are either getting involved in gang activity or, more ominously, being trafficked. Some towns have reported being unable to keep up with the number of teens reported as missing.
Police report that while the majority have gone back home or otherwise accounted for, police say a number are routine runaways who may likely disappear again.
Ohio’s attorney general confirmed the number of missing Cleveland area children was 45 this September. That adds to the total number of missing Ohio children reported missing in 2023, which stood at 1,072. While police attribute most of the missing kids to being runaways, that doesn’t appear to be placating their parents.
In Newburgh Heights, Ohio, Police Chief John Majoy says the number of missing children between 12 and 17 years old remains extremely 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,” Chief Majoy said.
Parents remain extremely concerned over the issue.
“I miss my child every day, I am worried,” said Sherice Snoden, whose 15-year-old son Keshaun is missing. “It’s been over forty days without my child. I just want him back home.”
In an interview with News 5 Cleveland, Majoy admitted, “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.”
Another missing child is identified as 14-year-old Gideon Hefner, last ween on Sept. 12 in American Township, Ohio. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored shirt, jeans, a black beanie and carrying a backpack.
Other missing teens include 17-year-old Camryn Nicole Galas, last ween in Akron on Sept. 23, and Elijah Hill, 16, last seen on Sept. 20 in Sandusky, Ohio.
This past May, a similar pattern of missing children occurred, with 27 children being reported missing in the Cleveland area at the beginning of the month.
For Majoy, this is something he said he hasn’t seen in his 33-year career as a police officer. He said he also fears that while a majority of the cases are likely runaways, he noted teenagers can be naïve when it comes to predators, noting they can be “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
He also noted that many such incidents most missing children cases don’t make the news because an Amber Alert is typically not issued, saying the cases are “silent crimes happening right under our noses.”
“There are strict criteria for an Amber Alert," he said. "Police have to have reasonable belief there has been an abduction, and that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.”
In addition, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told News 5 Cleveland that there tend to be numerous inconsistencies throughout missing children cases, including the updating of reports.
“All of these things have localized reporting problems that are again a function of local conditions,” Yost said. “We do our best to encourage compliance and improve assistance to remove barriers, but at the end of the day, we have to rely on our local partners that we don’t control.
Yost said some things have a tendency to “fall through the cracks,” a problem that includes missing kids. “I rely on the tenacity of a worried parent more than I do a harried bureaucrat whose job is to put data into a computer,” Yost said.
There may be some hope, however. Yost said the University of Toledo is working on a program to improve statewide data collection and reporting on missing children while acknowledging that “law enforcement can’t be everywhere and can’t see anything.”
“We rely on the people, the population, because we have 11.7 million pairs of eyes out there that can keep an eye out,” he said.
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