Cleveland police are asking for the public's help finding a boy who disappeared Thursday afternoon after he reportedly believed he was in trouble for misbehaving in school. Dereon Taylor was reported missing from the 2500 block of East 81st Street at around 5:20 p.m., and officials say his disappearance is out of character.
According to FOX 8 News, Taylor left home sometime Thursday afternoon believing he was in trouble after misbehaving in school. He is described as 5 feet tall and weighing 90 pounds, and he was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black jogging pants, and white and gray shoes.
Police officials said Taylor is not known to run away from home, a detail that has heightened concern among investigators working to track him down. The Cleveland Division of Police is urging anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 216-621-1234, or to reach the Third District directly at 216-623-5300.
A City Already Grappling With Missing-Child Numbers
Taylor's case comes amid a broader conversation in Cleveland about how the city tracks and responds to missing-juvenile reports. Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond said there have been 1,072 missing juveniles reported year-to-date, with 1,020 of those children safely returned, according to News 5 Cleveland. Drummond said the vast majority of those missing juveniles are actually runaways.
The Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force told the outlet it has not seen a rise in human-trafficking incidents involving missing juveniles in the area. Separately, WKYC reported that Drummond said 65 juveniles were currently missing in Cleveland as of a recent Wednesday evening, including 14 considered endangered. The station noted that most children encountered by city authorities are runaways, many of them habitual.
Statewide Figures Add Context
Cleveland police have also acknowledged a 20-percent increase in reports of missing children, even as officials emphasize that most children are safely returned, per the same WKYC report. The outlet additionally found that the Ohio Attorney General's missing-children website listed 909 Ohio children as currently missing on a recent Wednesday afternoon, a figure that includes children reported missing in previous years.
No information has been released confirming whether Taylor has been located since he was reported missing Thursday. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Cleveland police at 216-621-1234.
