Ohio Missing Children
The Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse helps law enforcement agencies
search for runaways and lost or abducted children. Its toll-free hotline
number, 1-800-325-5604, provides nationwide
access around the clock.
Names and pictures of missing children can be found on the
Ohio Attorney General's web site
or on the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children
web site.
In Ohio alone, more than 2800 children are missing.
Guidelines To Follow In Case Your
Child Might Someday Be Missing
Keep a complete written description of your child. Your description should
include color of hair and eyes, weight, height, and date of birth. It
should also list other ways to identify the child. Note things like
eyeglasses, braces, contact lenses, and pierced ears or other unique
physical attributes.
Take color photographs of your child every six months. Photos should be of
high quality and in sharp focus so the child is easily recognizable. Head
and shoulder portraits from different angles are preferable.
Have your dentist prepare dental charts for your child, and be sure they
are updated each time an examination or dental work is performed. Make
sure your dentist keeps accurate, up-to-date dental charts and x-rays on
your child. If you move, get a copy of the records to keep yourself until
you find a new dentist.
Know where your child's medical records are located and how you can obtain
them if needed. Medical records, especially x-rays, can be invaluable in
helping to identify a recovered child. It's important to have all
permanent scars, birthmarks, blemishes, and broken bones recorded.
Have your child fingerprinted by your local police department. In order
for fingerprints to be useful in identifying someone, they must be
properly taken. Your police department has trained personnel who can do
this.
If your child is missing, it's critical that you call the police
immediately. If your child disappears when you're away from home on a
shopping trip, for example-notify the manager of the store or the security
officer and ask for assistance in finding your child. Then call the
police. Also, ask them if your child will be entered into the National
Crime Information Center Missing Persons File. This ensures that any law
enforcement agency in the country will be able to identify your child if
he or she is found in another community.
