Operation Meridian is a statewide U.S. Marshals campaign in Ohio to find the state’s most endangered missing children, coordinated with 20 partner agencies. Browns legend Bernie Kosar is publicizing the effort and urging anyone with information to call the tipline. FOX 8 and Amanda Berry will run missing-person segments throughout August to increase exposure. The operation follows the successful 2020 Operation Safety Net, which recovered 35 youths and revealed trafficking links in roughly 20% of cases.
Browns Legend Bernie Kosar Joins U.S. Marshals' 'Operation Meridian' to Find Ohio's Most Endangered Children
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The U.S. Marshals Service has launched Operation Meridian, a coordinated statewide initiative to locate Ohio's most endangered missing children. The campaign brings together the U.S. Marshals' Northern and Southern Ohio detachments, 20 partner law enforcement agencies and local media to expand visibility and collect tips from the public.
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is lending his voice to the effort, using his platform to urge anyone with information to come forward. Kosar posted on X that he is proud to support the U.S. Marshals and encouraged the public to report leads that could help locate missing youngsters.
If you have information about a missing child, please help federal, state, and local law enforcement bring them home.
JUST CALL 1-866-492-6833. Together, we can help bring these missing children home.
Local media partner FOX 8 and host Amanda Berry will highlight the cases through Berry's program Missing with Amanda Berry, with missing-person segments scheduled to air throughout August to broaden community awareness.
Officials note this effort builds on earlier successes. In 2020, the U.S. Marshals' Operation Safety Net helped recover 35 missing and endangered youths aged 13 to 18; authorities said about 20% of those recoveries were linked to human trafficking. That operation and its partners earned the highest honor from the U.S. Attorney General for their work.
Kosar has a long record of community involvement. He created the Bernie J. Kosar, Jr. Charitable Trust in 1991, headlined a 2023 fundraiser for the Brain Injury Association of Ohio at the Fawcett Center, and in 2022 launched Community at the Core, a nonprofit supporting opportunity and revitalization in former Appalachian coal-mining communities.
This week Kosar is again urging the public to share tips to help bring missing children home. The U.S. Marshals have established a dedicated tipline: 1-866-492-6833 (also 1-866-4WANTED). Callers may remain anonymous.
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