A 14-year-old Columbus girl with brown hair highlighted in teal green has been missing since overnight, and police have triggered an alert spanning seven central Ohio counties to help track her down. Christinna Rash was last seen leaving her home near Whitethorn Avenue and West Mound Street on the city's West Side, and investigators are urging anyone who spots her to call for help rather than approach her directly.
The Endangered Missing Child alert went out Wednesday afternoon, covering Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties, according to cwcolumbus.com. Rash is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall and about 120 pounds, with brown eyes and the distinctive teal-green highlights running through her brown hair. As first reported by myfox28columbus.com, the case has spread quickly across the region as authorities work to locate her.
What Christinna Rash Was Wearing
When she left her house overnight, Rash had on a black hoodie and dark pants and was carrying a black Air Jordan backpack, the station's report notes. Beyond the overnight timeframe, no further details on exactly when she left home have been released.
Police are asking the public not to approach her if spotted, but instead to call 911 or the Columbus police non-emergency line at 614-645-4545 right away, per the same account. Quick tips from the public are often central to these searches, especially in the early hours after a teenager goes missing from home.
How Columbus Police Handle Missing Persons Cases
Cases like this one are typically handled by the Columbus Division of Police's Missing Persons Unit, which sits within the Family Crimes Section of the Special Investigations Bureau. According to the Columbus Division of Police, that unit investigates reported missing persons in situations where there is no evidence of kidnapping, abduction, or unlawful restraint. No information has been released indicating whether investigators believe any of those circumstances apply in Rash's case.
No photograph, additional identifying details, or information about where Rash may have gone has been made public. Anyone with information is urged to contact police immediately rather than wait, given how quickly these situations can change.
