Nearly fifty children have gone missing from Cleveland in September alone, as over one thousand have vanished so far this year leaving cops baffled.
According to the Ohio Attorney General’s office, there have been over 45 missing minors in the greater Cleveland area since the start of the month.
So far, there have already been 1,072 children reported missing in Cleveland this year.
One of those missing children is fifteen year old Keshaun Williams who disappeared on June 17 this year, and was last seen attending a house party but never returned.
An amber alert continues to be active to find Williams, but the family is advancing efforts by canvassing local areas.
Gideon Hefner, top left, Camryn Golias, top right, Teonnah Thompkins, bottom left, and Iyahna Graham, bottom right, have all disappeared in the last few weeks
Over the weekend, his grandmother Mary Williams told News 5 Cleveland; ‘If it is beyond and something unthinkable has happened, I know god is there.
‘God is with him and he’s protected, wherever he is god is. I know that.’
His mom, Sherice Snoden, had previously told the outlet: ‘It’s been over forty days without my child. I just want him back home.
‘I miss my child everyday, I am worried, I don’t know if he is eating or sleeping. I just want him back home.’
John Majoy, President of Cleveland Missing and Police Chief Village of Newburgh Heights, told News5 Cleveland: ‘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.’
Other missing children include 14-year-old Gideon Hefner, who was last seen on September 12 in American Township, Ohio.
According to the missing child report, he was wearing a dark colored shirt, jeans, black beanie and carrying a back pack at the time.
Camryn Nicole Golias, 17, was last seen in Akron, Ohio, on September 2023 but still remains missing.
Similarly, 16-year-old Elijah Hill disappeared on September 20 from Sandusky, Ohio, and hasn’t been seen since.
Keshaun Williams who disappeared on June 17 this year, was last seen attending a house party but never returned
Meanwhile, Iyahna Graham, 17, vanished from North Canton, Ohio, on September 23. Police have also advised that if located she should be approached with caution.
Days prior to Graham going missing, Teonnah Thompkins was last seen in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 17, wearing a black shirt, black pants and white shoes.
Maurice Hamrick, 14, Honesty Howell, 16, Elijah Hill, 16, and Chloe Hadley, 17, all disappeared within five days of each other earlier this month also.
A similar pattern started in May of this year also, with as many as 27 children reported missing in the area at the beginning of the month.
Speaking at the time, Police Chief Majoy said the cases of missing children between the ages of 12 and 17 remained unusually high through the month of May.
Newburgh Heights police chief John Majoy, pictured here, has said that officers are relying on members of the public
He said: ‘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.’
Majoy emphasized that he has never seen such high numbers of missing children in his 33-year-career.
While Majoy claimed that it’s likely the majority of cases are runaways and not abductions, he added that teenagers are naïve when it comes to predators, who he can be ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing.’
And, unfortunately, most missing children don’t make the news, because there is usually no Amber Alert, said Majoy, describing the cases as ‘silent crimes happening right under our noses.’
There is a strict criteria for an Amber Alert – police have to have reasonable believe there has been an abduction, and that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
In cities with a similar population like Aurora, Colorado, only
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the News5 Cleveland that inconsistencies often happen throughout the process, such as updating reports.
He said: ‘Now, what we know is when we look behind the numbers, some of those represent repeated runaways and local police have talked about that.
‘All of these things have localized reporting problems that again are a function of local conditions.
‘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.
Maurice Hamrick, top left, Honesty Howell, top right, Elijah Hill, bottom left, and Chloe Hadley all disappeared within five days of each other earlier this month
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said that inconsistencies often happen throughout the process, such as updating reports
‘I am fearful of all kinds of things that fall through the cracks that include missing children. I rely on the tenacity of a worried parent more than I do a harried bureaucrat whose job it is to put data into a computer.’
According to Yost, the University of Toledo is now working to improve the statewide data collection and reporting systems.
He continued: ‘Law enforcement can’t be everywhere and can’t see everything. We rely on the people, the population because we have 11.7 million pairs of eyes out there that can keep an eye out.’
Last year, more than 15,000 children were reported missing in Ohio, with four that were found dead.
8,525 missing children cases involved a runaway where a child left their home without permission and stayed away overnight.
34 of the cases involved an abduction from a noncustodial parent, with only five of the children having a stranger kidnap them.
Police were able to find 96 percent of the children, but 615 went into 2023 still missing.
In cities with a similar population like Aurora, Colorado, there was a lower total number, with just 4,594 cases of missing children in 2021.
Three of these were kidnappings, 4,471 were branded non-suspicious, and 56 were labelled unknown.
At the time, Yost said: ‘Thankfully, when a child goes missing, Ohio law enforcement rises to the task and often quickly reunites missing kids.
‘My heart is with the parents whose child hasn’t yet come home.’
