Missing persons reports are something police never want to see come across their desks. Unfortunately, they happen far too often, and for people of all ages. Thankfully, the majority of cases turn out OK, and the person is found alive and safe. But that's not always the case.

But typically, missing persons cases don't happen at such a high rate as what's happening in Cleveland, Ohio right now. So what's going on, that now 27 children have been reported missing in the past month?

WKMI logo
Get our free mobile app

News outlet Cleveland 19 reports that in the past month, the Cleveland Police Department has seen an incredible rise in the amount of missing children cases between 12 and 17 years-old.

"Since May 2nd, there have been 27 kids reported as active missing cases, and that number may be higher, as some have been located and removed from the active file."

Currently, the Cleveland Police Department has 56 open cases of missing children, and some of those date back several years. Which means nearly half of all of their active cases have happened in the past month.

Why are they missing?

The organization Cleveland Missing is a non-profit organization in the Cleveland area that helps with missing persons, and missing children cases in the region, and their Board President, John Majoy, also serves as the police chief for Newburgh Heights in the Cleveland area.

"We have received several new cases where we are providing support to the families. The uptick can be viewed in several ways: end of the school year, warm weather, opportunities, etc."

I'm not sure what he means by "opportunities," but the rest of those tend to line up with spikes of missing children reports around the country, most of which end up being a child who just didn't report back to their parents soon enough.

But 27 reports in the past month is still quite excessive, but police believe these are mostly runaways, and that none of them have been abducted.

"Parents should keep a close eye on children's social media as this is a significant impact for teens."

Missing Children In Southwest Michigan As of 4/18

We've provided a list of children and teens in Southwest Michigan who are still missing as of April 18th, 2023. The state of Michigan continues to do its part to try and help bring these children home