Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy, who serves as the board president of the volunteer nonprofit “Cleveland Missing,” says the area has experienced an alarming increase in missing children over a two-week span in May.
“There’s always peaks and valleys with missing persons, but this year it seems like an extraordinary year,” Majoy told Fox News Digital.
“For some reason, in 2023, we’ve seen a lot more than we normally see, which is troubling in part because we don’t know what’s going on with some of these kids, whether they’re being trafficked or whether they’re involved in gang activity or drugs.”
A total of 27 children were reported missing between May 2 and May 16, according to Cleveland police. Majoy thinks most of the cases are runaways, but issued a cautionary warning that teens tend to be naive and susceptible to exploitation by predators.
“It’s a silent crime that happens right under our noses,” he said, adding that the cases won’t always reach media unless an AMBER Alert is issued.
“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.”
Watch the full interview below
Anyone with information on any of the missing children should Cleveland police at call 216-623-7697 or email helpfindthemissing@city.cleveland.oh.us. You can also contact Cleveland Missing at 216-232-6470.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
