U.S. Marshals recover 79 missing children in massive Ohio operation, tell me about this news in (https://www.wsoctv.com/news/trending/us-marshals-recover-79-missing-children-massive-ohio-operation/TIMT6DO7EBHDFJLNC2VXMQHOHQ/)

According to the report from WSOC-TV, the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a monthlong statewide initiative named Operation Meridian throughout August, which resulted in the recovery of 79 missing and endangered children across Ohio. Authorities noted it was the largest missing-child operation in the state’s history.Key details of the operation include:

• Scope and Age Range: The recovered children ranged in age from 6 to 17 years old. The operations spanned several cities across Ohio, including Columbus, Akron, Cleveland, and Toledo.
• Circumstances: Cases involved situations of suspected sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, runaways, and other forms of acute endangerment.
• Agencies Involved: The U.S. Marshals Service coordinated with local and state police departments, as well as agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
• Notable Case Highlighted: Authorities located two sisters, ages 13 and 16, who had been missing from the Columbus area since July 2024 and April 2026, respectively. Law enforcement tracked leads to a residence in Lockbourne, Ohio, where they found the 13-year-old hidden inside a basement crawlspace beneath a bedroom closet floor. Their mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant for a probation violation, and information gathered during the arrest helped officers locate the 16-year-old sister later that day at a restaurant in Columbus.