What is Operation Meridian? 79 missing children recovered by US Marshals in Ohio’s ‘largest missing child operation’
The U.S. Marshals Service recovered 79 children reported missing or endangered during Operation Meridian, a monthlong operation across Ohio, officials said on Tuesday, September 8. The U.S. Marshals Service described the operation as the “largest missing child operation” in Ohio history.
What is Operation Meridian?
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, “The operation, conducted throughout the month of August, focused on children reported missing due to a range of circumstances including suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, run away children, and other forms of endangerment. Investigators worked across jurisdictional lines, coordinating with local police agencies, state agencies, and federal partners to locate children as far away as Georgia.”
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One of the cases involved two sisters, 13 and 16, who had been reported missing in July 2024 and April 2026. U.S. Marshals, along with Columbus police, followed leads that led investigators to a home in Lockbourne, where they found the 13-year-old girl concealed in a basement crawlspace hidden beneath the floor of a bedroom closet. The other sister was later found at a restaurant on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus.
Their mother was arrested on an outstanding Franklin County warrant for a probation violation, according to officials.
“The United States Marshals Service, through its fugitive task forces, locates and arrests the most violent fugitives in our communities. Using the same resources and methods we have the ability to seek and recover missing and endangered children. We are proud to be able to assist our law enforcement partners in locating and reuniting missing children with their families,” said U.S. Marshal Michael Black.
U.S. Marshals did not reveal how many people were facing charges.
