Mystery deepens as Cleveland area reports nearly 30 missing children in just two weeks, many without photos |

A local police chief claimed that in his 33 years on the job he had never seen anything like the nearly 30 reports of missing children that came in over a two-week period in early May in the Cleveland area.

According to Fox News Digital, Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy, who is also chairman of the board of directors of the Cleveland Missing volunteer group, said the number of missing children and teens aged 12 to 17 remained at historic levels throughout the year. month.

“There are always ups and downs with missing persons, but this year seems like an amazing year,” said Majoy, who leads a police department in a suburb outside of Cleveland.

“In 2023, for some reason, we’ve seen a lot more than usual, which is troubling in part because we don’t know what’s going on with some of these kids,” he said.

Between May 2 and May 16, the Cleveland Police Department received reports of 27 missing children and teens. Majoy speculates that kidnappings are less common than runaways, but notes that young teenagers are particularly vulnerable to predators who may be “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Nobody seems to care about their disappearance until there’s an Amber Alert, and nobody talks about it online.

It’s a crime that goes unnoticed right under our noses, he noted. The question now is: “Where are they?” What happens to them? They may be involved in drug dealing, prostitution farms or gangs.

This is a contributing factor to the escalating crime rate in the Cleveland area. Majoy said young people in need of protection turn to gangs, where they commit initiation crimes like carjackings and robberies, sell their bodies for money or become drug addicts. The absence of images only heightens concerns about this. The Cleveland Missing Persons website has more blank boxes labeled “Photo Not Available” than actual photos of missing persons.

Majoy says this causes several problems for the police. There is no hope until we find someone who knows this individual. The public, he added, is law enforcement’s “greatest asset” in missing persons cases, so if the family has footage, police can use social media and spread messages to the public for tips and potential leads.

Cleveland Missing is a special non-profit organization serving the greater Cleveland area that helps families of missing persons find closure, conduct effective searches, and deal with the trauma of losing a loved one.

Sylvia Colon and her cousin Gina DeJesus, who was 14 when kidnapper Ariel Castro took her hostage in 2004, started the organization. Colon told Fox News Digital, “Every family’s experience is different, but some things are the same for everyone.” “Initially there is skepticism, then finger pointing. Worries like, ‘Where did we go wrong?’ Did we miss something? ‘Oh, no, how are we going to find this individual?’ The uncertainty of our next step.

“As time passes and the case remains unsolved for a year, two or three, life also arises. You feel guilty because you can’t stop living your life while you keep looking.

Call (216) 623-7697 or email helpfindthemissing@city.cleveland.oh.us if you have information about a missing person in or around Cleveland. You can call Cleveland Missing at 216-232-6470 or visit them at 2937 West 25th St.