Missing Child Found at Local Retail Store

Parents in Ohio are ecstatic to have found their 12-year-old boy, who was reported missing over the weekend.

Surprisingly enough, the boy was found in one of the last places someone could look, at a Target, where he reportedly spent the night.

Missing 12-year-old boy spent the night in an Ohio Target https://t.co/XiEQwqAPhO

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 12, 2024

NBC News has more on the story:

Scott Varner, the spokesperson for Franklin County Children Services, said the child’s parents reported him missing Sunday.

Varner said by email, “This was a runaway situation.”

There were no reports the boy was harmed, the station said.

The parents reported the boy missing on Sunday afternoon, which was thankfully quickly resolved on Monday morning.

Yahoo News has more on the comments from the police report:

According to Columbus police, a boy was found inside of the Target store in the East Broad area of Columbus just north of Reynoldsburg at around 6:15 a.m. CPD reported that the boy was found by an employee at the 8100 East Broad Street location. He was unaccompanied in the store and believed to have been there since the previous night.

Police investigated how and why the child, who was initially reported to be younger than 12, was alone in the store. Franklin County Children’s Services told NBC4 they were informed by police that the child was a runaway.

At 11:40 a.m. Columbus police reported that the child was reported missing by the parents on Sunday. They were notified of his whereabouts and picked him up Monday afternoon. Franklin County Children’s Services told NBC4 they were informed by police that the child was a runaway.