"Underground trafficking system": 1000 missing children in Cleveland Ohio conspiracy claims erupt 

A recent report detailing the disappearance of over 1000 children from Cleveland, Ohio, this year has sparked conspiracy theories, including fears of an “Underground trafficking system.”

According to the Ohio Attorney General's Office’s missing children website, more than 1,000 minors were reported missing so far this year, including 45 minors who disappeared in the Cleveland-Akron area this month. The disturbing statistics have raised huge concerns as the number of missing children has significantly increased from last month when 35 minors disappeared from the same area.

Concerns were raised in May 2023 when nearly 30 children went missing in just the first two weeks. In an interview on Monday, September 25, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told News 5 Cleveland that while they are exceedingly worried about the missing children, the numbers were slightly convoluted as some of those represent repeated runaways.

Yost added that there are gaping issues in statewide data collection as the cases are not accurately entered to better identify runaway cases, abductions, or s*x trafficking. Due to reporting deficiencies, even search efforts are hindered for the missing children. Yost attributed the problem to a police staffing shortage.

"All of these things have localized reporting problems that, again, are a function of local conditions," Yost said. "We do our best to encourage compliance and improve assistance to remove barriers, but at the end of the day, we have to rely on our local partners that we don’t control."

However, Yost assured citizens they are working with the University of Toledo to create an improved statewide data collection and reporting system.

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Netizens react over report of 1000 missing children from Cleveland Ohio this year

The report detailing the disappearance of over 1000 children from Cleveland, Ohio, this year has sparked conspiracy theories as police expressed concern, saying the rate at which children are disappearing in 2023 is unusually high. The police chief of Newburgh Heights, John Major, who raised the alarm in May, expressed his concern that the children might have been s*x trafficked or even forced into gang activity in Cleveland.

“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,” he told Fox News back in May.

The missing children report has triggered massive concern online, with people suggesting that they might have been trafficked. A netizen said:

“Finger Lakes isn't very far away... Just saying, Rumor has it there is a huge trafficking operation happening there."

Another added:

“Ohio is a trafficking hub. This is well known. Cleveland is not looking for these children because they are long gone..”

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According to the New York Post, among the missing are Keshaun Williams, 15, who vanished after attending a house party on June 17, Gideon Hefner, a 14-year-old who went missing on September 12 from American Township, and Camryn Nicole Golias, 17, last seen in Akron in September.

Keshaun Williams's grandmother told News 5 that police have made no strides in locating the 15-year-old who has been missing for nearly 90 days, noting that there are not enough officers on the streets looking for the teen.

Meanwhile, anyone with information on the case was urged to call the police.