Rep. Cockley Honors Missing Persons Day, Calls for Action

COLUMBUS — As Ohio Missing Persons Day approaches this Saturday, May 17, State Rep. Christine Cockley (D-Columbus) is honoring the lives of the more than 1K Ohioans currently missing and calling for stronger legislative action to support the families who continue to search for answers.

“Every missing person is someone’s child, parent, or friend,” said Rep. Cockley. “Their families don’t just deserve our sympathy, they deserve answers.”

In response to the urgent need for more coordinated investigative efforts, Rep. Cockley has introduced House Bill (HB) 217, also known as The FIND Act. This bipartisan legislation would require law enforcement agencies to enter missing persons cases into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) within 30 days of a report. The bill would bring Ohio in line with 16 other states.

Rep. Cockley is encouraging people to stand with families of the missing and advocate for the passage of The FIND Act by:

• Signing up for updates on the bill’s status and committee activities;  
• Contacting your State Representative to request a meeting or express your support for HB 217. You can find your representative here;
• Contacting the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Rep. Cindy Abrams, to urge her to schedule the bill for hearings in her committee; and
• Submitting testimony when The FIND Act is scheduled for committee.
   

In addition to advocating for legislative change, people can also show support by participating in the following events honoring missing Ohioans:

• Public Remembrance to Honor Ohio’s Missing Persons
  Saturday, May 17 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration Building
  Wright State University
  3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Fairborn, OH 45324
  Register here
• 2nd Annual Andy Chapman March for the Missing
  Saturday, June 14 | 12:00 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  Hillcrest Baptist Church
  2500 West Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43204
  Register here

The Annual March for the Missing event is scheduled after Ohio’s Missing Persons Day. The march is organized by the family of Andy Chapman, who was last seen in Columbus’ Hilltop neighborhood back in 2006. It is Andy’s case and his family’s advocacy that inspired Rep. Cockley to introduce this legislation.

“The work for missing people doesn’t end on May 17. It continues every day until every missing Ohioan is found and brought back home,” said Rep. Cockley.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An informational support document on House Bill 217 is attached to this press release.