More than 15,000 children were reported missing in Ohio last year, a decline of about 1,000 from the previous year.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office released its 2025 Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse annual report on May 18 in advance of National Missing Children’s Day, which is May 25.
The report says 98.7% of those children — which included runaways and abductions — were found and returned home safely. Six of the children were found deceased, the report says.
“My heart weighs heavy with every child who goes missing,” Attorney General Dave Yost said in a prepared statement. “I am grateful to Ohio law enforcement for their diligent work to bring these children home.”
Overall, 19,930 people were reported missing in the state last year, 1,412 fewer than the previous year. Among those, 15,367 were children, 1,037 fewer than in 2024.
The Ohio cases included:
Nearly 14,000 of those reported missing were between the ages of 13 and 17. The majority of the children missing — 8,061 — were girls.
The report noted that there are more than 800 children still listed as actively missing on the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Missing Person Unit database.
How many children were reported missing in Stark County in 2025?
The report includes a map showing each county and how many children were reported missing.
There were 376 reported missing in Stark County last year. Franklin County led Ohio with 2,904 reported missing. Cuyahoga County was second with 2,336.
Three counties — Harrison, Morgan and Noble — had zero.
The report also highlighted four individual cases, including a 1976 case from Stark County involving 16-year-old Gary Beauchamp. He would be 66 today.
He was last seen on Oct. 9, 1976. He was described being as 5-foot-7 with blond hair. He was wearing blue jeans and a brown T-shirt at the time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Stark County Sheriff’s Office at 330-430-3800.
To read the full state report, go to www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Reports/Missing-Children-s-Clearinghouse-Reports/2025-Missing-Children-Clearinghouse-Annual-Report.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘My heart weighs heavy.’ Ohio says more than 15,000 children reported missing last year
Reporting by Canton Repository / The Repository
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