OHIO — Thousands of people, including children, are missing right now in the State of Ohio.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00 p.m., there is a push in the statehouse to improve the investigations into missing persons.
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More than 16,000 children were reported missing last year in the state of Ohio.
While over 95% of those kids were recovered according to the State Attorney General’s office, that still leaves dozens that haven’t been found.
There are also thousands of adults that vanish every year, adults like Aimee Chapman’s brother Andy, who has been missing for nearly 20 years.
“Throughout all this time, we have continued to advocate on behalf of Andy and our family and other families of missing persons,” Aimee Chapman said. “Families are the key to that individuals’ habits, friends, and records, and can’t emphasize enough families are victims too.”
On Tuesday, Governor Mike DeWine announced a new report that lists 18 recommendations and changes to how missing persons cases are investigated.
Those suggestions came from law enforcement agencies, the Attorney General’s office, and advocacy groups.
Some include allowing for administrative search warrants in special cases like missing persons to look through phone records quickly and stiffer charges for parents and family members who take children out of state without permission.
“There are very specific things in here we know will make a difference. It doesn’t mean every person that’s missing will be found,” DeWine said. “It doesn’t mean everything will work out, but what it does mean is if we do these things, we’re going to improve the situation rather dramatically.”
All these recommendations would still need to be approved by the state’s general assembly.
DeWine said at the very least, the report provides a template for improving how current agencies respond to missing persons reports.
You can view the full report here.
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