Within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office is the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse. In its most recent report, we learned 2023 saw an increase in the number of Buckeye State children who went missing. In fact, more people of all ages went missing last year — 22,374 total (an increase of 1,757 over the previous year). Of that number, 17,405 were children (an increase of 1,850 over the previous year).

Those are alarming figures, though not as high as what the state saw in 2015-2019. Perhaps a more important figure on which to focus is that authorities say 98% of missing children were recovered safely by the end of the year.

Tragically, five were found dead and 367 are still missing.

Here in the Upper Ohio Valley, neither Monroe nor Harrison county saw any missing children cases in 2023. Belmont had 31, and Jefferson 52.

But largely because of determined law enforcement officers and such as the Amber Alert or Endangered Missing Child Alert, cases are being solved.

Attorney General Dave Yost gave one example, in introducing this year’s report: “On the morning of May 9, a 6-year-old girl with special needs was reported missing to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s search rapidly expanded, with neighboring law enforcement agencies, fire departments, civilian search groups and multiple K-9 teams rushing to the area,” Yost wrote. ” … Twelve hours into the search, the girl was found unharmed and was reunited with her parents. The swift and coordinated work of multiple law enforcement agencies made all the difference, as it almost always does. ”

Yost has every right to be proud of those agencies, and it is a reminder to Ohioans of the concerted effort that goes into keeping our kids safe.

While the data show there is work to do — and that there will always be a need for that effort — we can be grateful there are so many willing to take on the challenge