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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Annual Ohio Missing
Children Clearinghouse Report
More Than 600 Children Are Currently Listed as Missing in Ohio
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—In recognition of National Missing Children’s Day
today, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine released the 2016 Ohio Missing
Children Clearinghouse Report, which documents that 19,902 children
were reported missing in Ohio in 2016. Authorities reported that 98
percent of those children were recovered safely.
A full copy of the report can be found on the Ohio Attorney General's
website.
“A missing child is one of a parent’s worst fears,” Attorney General
DeWine said. “Fortunately, most children who are reported missing are
returned safely in a short period of time. But in cases where children
are still missing, we must never give up trying to find them.”
In 2016, children reported missing were in these age categories:
0 to 5 years old – 149
6 to 12 years old – 1,153
13 to 17 years old – 18,600
2016 Missing Children Reports in Ohio
2016 Missing Children Reports by County
The clearinghouse documented 24 attempted child abductions involving 14
girls and 10 boys. The suspects were driving vehicles in 95 percent of
the situations, and 42 percent of the incidents occurred while the
children were walking to or from school.
Additionally, in 2016, six AMBER Alerts were issued, and 13 Endangered
Missing Child Alerts were issued. AMBER alerts are designed to bring
attention to cases involving an abducted child who is younger than age
18, is at risk of serious bodily harm or death, and is not a runaway.
Endangered Missing Child Alerts apply to situations in which law
enforcement cannot determine whether the child was abducted but the
disappearance otherwise meets the AMBER Alert criteria.
Currently, more than 600 children are listed as missing in Ohio.
Attorney General DeWine today also announced the winners of this year’s
National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest. Each year, fifth
graders across the state are eligible to submit a poster to the
Attorney General’s Office that raises awareness about child safety. The
winners were recognized as part of the Attorney General’s Two Days in
May Conference on Victim Assistance. This year’s winners are:
First Place: Mya Wehrkamp, Coldwater Middle School, Coldwater
Second Place: Sophia Rush, St. Nicholas Academy, Cincinnati
Third Place: Ibraheem Ahmad, Dayton Islamic School, Beavercreek
The Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse was established by the Ohio
General Assembly in 1993 as a central repository for statistics and
information about missing children in the state. Attorney General
DeWine's Ohio Missing Persons Unit was developed in 2011 to better
coordinate and convey information about services related to missing
children and adults. The unit operates the Ohio Missing Children
Clearinghouse and is part of the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal
Investigation.
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