COLUMBUS – A report from the Ohio Attorney General’s Missing Children Clearinghouse says 98 percent of the nearly 20,000 children reported missing in Ohio last year were recovered safely.
The vast majority of the 19,902 missing children were runaways but there were 24 abduction attempts, involving 14 girls and 10 boys, according to the 2016 annual report from the Missing Children Clearinghouse.
Nearly half — 42 percent — of the incidents occurred while the children were walking to or from school.
Six AMBER Alerts, reserved for cases involving an abducted child who is younger than age 18, at risk of serious bodily harm or death, and is not a runaway were issued. Law enforcement authorities also issued 13 Endangered Missing Child Alerts Alerts, which apply to situations in which law enforcement cannot determine whether the child was abducted but the disappearance otherwise meets the AMBER Alert criteria.
More than 600 children are listed as missing in Ohio.
The report was released in conjunction with National Missing Children’s Day, observed on May 25 since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1993 to remind parents and others to rededicate themselves to the priority of child safety.
To make it easier for parents to keep information on hand that could help investigators in the event of an emergency, the FBI created the Child ID app for smartphones and tablets.
The free app for Apple and Android devices contains updated features, including the capability to store high-resolution images and a default recipient field where parents can enter their local police department’s contact information, such as the e-mail address where a description and recent photo can be sent.
The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.