CLEVELAND — It seems like just about every week we’re reporting on another missing child in northeast Ohio. Whether it’s posted on News 5’s social media platforms or during our broadcasts, the circumstances surrounding the cases vary.
“When people hear the term runaway, a lot of times, from what I read on social media, [they] just think, oh, it’s just another kid, you know, running away, who cares, and trust me, that’s definitely not the case,” said Tracey, whose daughter was missing for two months.
Tracey is not ready to speak publicly about what happened to her daughter or how she was found, but Tracey said the experience was a nightmare, and she was searching daily.
“You really do not understand how many cases there really are where it turns out that whether it’s a child or an adult, that they are in a situation that they can’t get out of and they need everybody’s help,” she said.
Police departments have more search tools
Police departments are also using their social media platforms to reach media outlets and the public more broadly.
“Even if we’re working every single angle and every single lead that we have and we’re still coming up empty, we post on social media and we’re almost guaranteed to get some new tips or new leads,” said Wadsworth Police Sergeant Vivian Feke.
Feke is also a member of Medina County’s Child Abduction Response Team (CART). It’s a volunteer effort, among law enforcement officers, to find runaways, children with special needs and people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
“We have a lot of rural areas in the county, so there’s a lot of farmland, lots of cornfields, and a lot of acres sometimes, to search when we’re looking for people,” she said. “I chose it because I really have a passion for missing person cases, and I would go out at 2 a.m. or 10 p.m. if I’m paged out to a call.”
Canines, drones, and other tactics can be used to help in the search.
“Even when I started eight years ago, we did not have as many technological advancements that we do today to be able to help find missing people,” said Feke. “We have so many more resources to be able to use and draw from, such as license plate cameras, cameras all around the city, if someone has a cell phone or sometimes a certain type of car we might be able to track the cell phone or track the car.”
Local organization offers help and hope to families
Sylvia Colon, co-founder of the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults, established the organization 7 or 8 years ago after recognizing a gap in support services.
"We wanted to make sure that families of the missing had as much support as the missing actually do," said Colon.
She knows the pain families go through. The organization’s co-founder, Gina DeJesus, is Colon’s cousin. DeJesus was found after years of being held in captivity. The case is widely known as the Miracle in Cleveland.
“I think about what families go through in the angst of everyday, every day,” she said. “They’re not sleeping, they’re not eating, they’re not working, they’re just crazy to find that person.”
The center provides free services, including creating missing-person fliers, posting on social media, and teaching families how to work effectively with law enforcement.
"Most families do however need things like how to put together a missing persons flier, so we actually do that with them," Colon said. The organization recommends having one designated family member work with law enforcement to avoid overwhelming investigators with questions.
Colon noted a real change in how Cleveland police handle missing-person cases, especially in their use of social media.
"There's not a day that goes by now where one of the districts aren't actually posting information about a missing case, that they're working on actual fliers and asking for help," she said. "I've seen real definitive changes in how they are asking for help."
The community response can be helpful and harmful
However, Colon acknowledged that community responses can be both helpful and harmful. "Saying negative things about family or the missing person online, it's frustrating certainly from our perspective," she said.
She said reporting runaways missing is critical because children face immediate danger once they leave home.
"It's really important to report those stories because we know statistically as soon as a kid leaves their home, whether it’s a runaway or they're walking and they just go missing, or they don't return home, there are bad people out there looking for these kids and they want to traffic them," said Colon. "These kids are primed for bad things to happen as soon as they walk out the door."
Why not an Amber Alert?
While social media has expanded the tools available for missing person cases, Amber Alerts are still only issued when specific criteria are met. Requirements include the belief that a child is in imminent danger and having a description of the suspect's vehicle.
This explains why many missing person cases, particularly those involving runaways, don't trigger Amber Alerts but still receive attention through social media and other channels.
The combination of traditional law enforcement methods, advanced technology, and social media outreach represents a comprehensive approach to addressing missing person cases in Northeast Ohio.
For families facing these situations, the message from both law enforcement and support organizations remains consistent: never give up hope, and remember that community awareness can make the difference.
