Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released the 2023 Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse Report today, coinciding with National Missing Children’s Day on May 25.

“Local law enforcement is the first defense when a child goes missing, and Ohio’s sheriff’s offices and police departments do a fantastic job reuniting missing kids with their families,” Yost stated. “Although we celebrate a 98% reunification rate, one missing child is one too many – BCI stands ready to assist.”

The report documented 22,374 people reported missing in 2023, an increase of 1,757 from the previous year. Of these cases, 17,405 involved missing children, up by 1,950 from the prior year. Authorities successfully recovered 98% of these children—17,033—by the end of the year. However, open-source data indicated that five children reported missing were found deceased in 2023.

When a child goes missing, local law enforcement is notified first to create a missing child report. This information is then entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database operated by the U.S. Department of Justice. Once a child is found, the report is closed and updated in NCIC.

The Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse receives statistics on missing persons within the state entered into NCIC and issues an annual report to raise awareness about this issue. The attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation provides additional training and resources to local law enforcement.

Law enforcement must submit information about missing children to NCIC; however, specific details may be sporadic if not readily available or if the child is found before supplemental information can be added.

The annual report issued today specifies circumstances for all entries:

- 9,469 cases involved runaways.

- 35 cases involved abduction by noncustodial parents.

- 15 cases involved abduction by strangers.

In addition to these figures:

- Ohio law enforcement issued 13 AMBER Alerts involving 17 children; sixteen were recovered safely while one remains missing.

- Ten Endangered Missing Child Alerts were issued involving twelve children; all were recovered safely.

The Ohio Missing Persons Unit operates within the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). It coordinates resources and responses to missing person cases and provides immediate access to investigative tools. Besides focusing on missing children, it also addresses issues related to missing adults, human trafficking, and unidentified human remains. The unit maintains a toll-free hotline (800-325-5604) for calls from law enforcement and community members. A database of Ohio's missing persons is available on the attorney general’s website.

A full copy of the 2023 report can be accessed on the attorney general’s website.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Steve Irwin: 614-728-5417