It’s with great concern and sadness that I report 27 children were reported missing in Cleveland during the first two weeks of May and the alarming surge is not receiving the attention it deserves.
Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy warns that the disappearances have reached unprecedented levels in 2023.
Majoy, who serves as the board president of the Cleveland Missing nonprofit group, told Fox News:
There’s always peaks and valleys with missing persons, but this year it seems like an extraordinary year.
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.
Police Chief John Majoy noted that a majority of the cases are considered runaways, but he also fears some of the teenagers could possibly be victims of predators.
US Marshals launched “Operations We Will Find You” in May in an effort to recover 35 missing children across Ohio.
US Marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement:
The Marshals Service is fully committed to assisting federal, state, and local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children.
The epidemic of missing children in our country needs a spotlight, it needs our focus. We hope operations like this sharpen that focus. Every child deserves a safe environment to grow up in, and we are dedicated to helping provide that for the children and families in Northern Ohio.
Agents combed through cases in Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, and other surrounding counties to find the missing minors, with some of the kids located as far as California, Arizona, and West Virginia.
In the month of May, a total of 31 teens were reported missing:
- Asia Henderson, 15, Female – 5/1/23
- Da’Juan Hubbard, 15, Male – 5/2/23
- Eternity Taylar-Cheney, 15, Female – 5/4/23
- Deajah Dowdell, 15, Female – 5/7/23
- William De Young Hampton, 16, Male – 5/9/23
- Jabary Dancy, 15, Male – 5/10/23
- Melissa E. Hines, 16, Female – 5/12/23
- Tranisha Mims, 14, Female – 5/15/23
- Malaysia Maxwell, 17, Female – 5/15/23
- Rayshawn Scott, 14, Male – 5/17/23
- Charish Latrice Morgan, 18, Female – 5/18/23
- Ricara D. Crayton-Lumbus, 17, Female – 5/19/23
- Darius Wright, 17, Male – 5/19/23
- Jay Me Anna Felder-Floyd, 16, Male – 5/20/23
- Maelaina Hurd, 13, Female – 5/23/23
- Malachi K. Berry, 17, Male – 5/23/23
- Jeremiah L. Cole, 15, Male – 5/23/23
- Danielle Agee, 15, Female – 5/24/23
- Adonis Darrell McCloud, 16, Male – 5/27/23
- Javier Harris, 15, Male – 5/27/23
- Jaymere Moore, 15, Male – 5/29/23
- Jhameer Montgomery, 16, Male – 5/30/23
- Diamond Buchanan, 16, Female – 5/30/23
- Mercedez Stovall, 13, Female – 5/30/23
- Malikah Nelson, 15, Female – 5/30/23
- Jaliyah Jones, 13, Female – 5/30/23
- Yazmeen A Shehadeh, 15, Female – 5/31/23
- Joseph Ricardo Sanderfer, 16, Male – 5/31/23
- Tyshawn Lee, 14, Male – 5/31/23
- Brandyn Godfrey, 14, Male – 5/31/23
- Alexis Alvelo, 14, Female – 5/31/23
Watch the news report below.
Report information about a missing child to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s 24-hour hotline at 800–THE–LOST (800–843–5678).
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