CLEVELAND, Ohio – Law enforcement authorities in the Cleveland-area have received reports of 27 missing kids during a two-week period of time, May 2 to May 16. This is an unprecedented number of missing children, authorities said, according to Fox News.
Chief John Majoy of the Newburgh Heigh Police Department in Ohio said the number of reports is something he hasn’t seen in his 33 years in the business, noting that the majority of cases are most likely to be runaways and not abductions. Nevertheless, with the astounding number of reports, some children will be caught up in sex trafficking and narcotic distribution, not to mention violent gang activity.
“There’s always peaks and valleys with missing persons, but this year it seems like an extraordinary year,” Majoy said. “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.”
Sylvia Colon is a co-founder of the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults. Her organization began after a cousin was abducted in 2004. Now they assist families who are missing loved ones by assisting with the searches and providing them with emotional support, according to the Post Millennial.
During an interview with Fox News, Colon said, “Every family’s experience is different, but there are some things that are the same for everybody.”
“It’s first disbelief, blame. (Questions like) ‘What did we do wrong?’ ‘Did we miss something?’ ‘Oh, my gosh, how are we going to find this person?’ The not knowing what are we going to do” she noted.
Continuing, Colon said, “As the days progress and becomes a case that’s not solved after a couple months to two years to three years, life happens, too. Then you have this guilt of continuing to press forward and live your life while continuing your search.”
Cleveland is one of many liberally governed cities that has experienced a rise in crime in the last few years. Notably, “human activity in the Democrat cities of San Francisco, Cleveland, and Portland has dropped by nearly 50 percent as Americans want to avoid violence and crime,” the Post Millennial reported.
To leave tips for police on missing persons in and around Cleveland, call 216-623-7697 or email [email protected].
