In just two weeks, 27 children have gone missing in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking major concern from police chief John Majoy, saying this is something he has never seen in his 33-year career. Not only is he the Newburgh Heights police chief, Majoy also serves as the board president of Cleveland Missing, which is a nonprofit organization that offers direct support to families that are searching for a missing loved one. Majoy spoke with the media, saying the number of missing children, ages ranging from 12-17, is unprecedented. “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.”

The 27 missing children were recorded from May 2nd to May 16th. Majoy believes that the majority of these missing children are runaways rather than abductions, but warned that teenagers are easily taken advantage of by predators, so they can’t overlook that. “It’s a silent crime that happens right under our noses. “The problem is where are they? Where do they go? They can be in a drug house or farmed to prostitution or caught up in drug trafficking or gangs,” said Majoy. Last year, more than 15,000 children were reported missing in Ohio last year. Police were able to find 36 percent of the missing children, but were still looking for 615 children by the start of 2023.

Dear God, please protect watch over these missing children and continue to provide comfort to their families while they navigate such a difficult time.