Ohio report highlights missing children statistics for 2024, unsolved disappearances
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio officials recently released a report that details statistics about children who went missing in 2024 and highlights unsolved disappearances from years past.
The Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse, a repository run by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation since 1993, releases an annual missing children's report. The initiative stems from a coordinated effort between local law enforcement agencies and the National Crime Information Center. Each American state has a missing children clearinghouse that collects and disseminates information.
What did the report find?
The report covering 2024 revealed 21,342 people were reported missing in Ohio, a number that decreased by 1,032 compared with 2023. The downward trend remained true for missing children, who made up 16,404 of total missing people, which is 1,001 fewer than the previous year.
Of the missing children, 96.5%, or 15,834, were recovered safely before the end of the year while three were found dead, the report states. Over 500 cases remained open at the end of 2024.
“Every missing person is someone to somebody – a child, sibling, loved one or friend,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “I am proud of the dedication shown by Ohio law enforcement to keep Ohio’s children safe and commit that my office will continue to do everything in its power to support that mission.”
The report found 8,758 of the missing children were girls and 7,646 were boys. Minors between the ages of 13 and 18 made up 14,681 of the missing children, with those aged 6 to 12 representing 1,556 cases and kids between 0 and 5 making up 167 cases.
Franklin County saw the highest number of missing children, at 2,792. Montgomery followed close behind at 2,760, then Cuyahoga at 2,717. Franklin and Cuyahoga are the most populated counties in the state, while Montgomery has the fifth-highest population.
In missing children cases where the circumstances were specified, 8,415 were classified as runaways, 37 were abducted by a noncustodial parent and nine were abducted by a stranger.
Last year, Ohio issued 13 Amber Alerts involving 15 children. Fourteen of the kids were recovered safely and one was found dead. The state also sent out 17 endangered missing children alerts involving 18 individuals, 17 of which were safely recovered while one was found dead. Endangered missing children alerts are issued for disappearances where police cannot determine whether the child was abducted, but the circumstances otherwise meet Amber Alert criteria.
Data from the clearinghouse report is taken from missing child reports from law enforcement, which is entered into the National Crime Information Center database. Once a child is found, the report is closed and the case is updated in the database.
Unsolved disappearances featured
The report put a spotlight on the case of Ashley Summers, who disappeared at 14 years old on July 9, 2007. She was last seen in the vicinity of a relative’s house on West 44th Street in Cleveland, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Summers has a tattoo of the name “Gene” surrounded by a heart on her right arm. Today, she would be 31 years old.
Also included in the report is Neveah Holton, who went missing at 2 years old. While she was last seen at a doctor’s appointment on Nov. 13, 2012, she was first reported missing by a social worker six years later. Holton has a distinctive white patch of hair as she was diagnosed with Waardenburg Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects pigmentation. Today, she would be 15 years old.
Nylo Lattimore went missing at 3 years old on Dec. 4, 2020. The child’s stroller was found near the Ohio river in Cincinnati, where his mother’s body was discovered. Desean Brown has been accused of killing the pair and is set to go on trial this year. Police believe Lattimore was thrown into the river, but he has never been found. Today, he would be 7 years old.
The final disappearance included in the report is that of Jamel Williams, who went missing at 3 years old on May 25, 1994. His mother reported him missing, claiming she last saw him on the rear steps of her apartment in the east side of Toledo. Police stated neighbors reported that they never had seen the child at the apartment since his mother began living there in April 1994. Today, Williams would be 34 years old.
Anyone who has information about an unsolved disappearance included in the report should contact the police department for the city where the individual went missing.