4 Ohio Children Said to Be in Danger: Multi-State Alert Issued

Officials say that four missing Ohio children are believed to be in danger, and they are asking for the public’s help in finding them.

A missing child alert was issued for states between Ohio and Florida, WKYC reported. The children were taken by their non-custodial mother, Marianne Merritt, on Aug. 28.

Officials said that the children—who are between the ages of 8 and 13—might be in danger. An AMBER Alert wasn’t issued.

Top, from left to right: Damara Croley, Patience Wilson; bottom, from left to right: Benjamin Karl-Leland Croley and Damien Wilson. (Lima Police)

According to the Lima Police Department, the missing children are identified as follows:

- Damara Croley, 13 years old, white female, born Nov. 8, 2004, 5 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last wearing a red OSU shirt and Spiderman web pants.

- Benjamin Karl-Leland Croley, 12 years old, white male, born Jan. 30, 2006, 5 feet 1 inch and 120 pounds, and has blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last wearing yellow smiley emoji pants.

- Patience Wilson, 9 years old, white female, born March 5, 2009, 4 feet 5 inches and 80 pounds, and has blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last wearing a white top and dark blue or black leggings.

- Damien Wilson, 8 years old, white male, born April 16, 2010, 4 feet 5 inches and 111 pounds, and has blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and red and black shorts.

Marianne Merritt and Charles Perkins. (Lima Police)

The suspect, Marianne Merritt, is 40 years old, and police described her as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 210 pounds. She has red hair and green eyes.

Police said that she might be traveling to Florida with her boyfriend, Charles Perkins. WKYC reported that he has active warrants and was described as being abusive towards children.

Police said he is “armed and dangerous,” and he is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 164 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

A car that is linked to the alert is a 2000 dark blue Chrysler Voyager minivan with Ohio license plate FMQ3175. The van has a white passenger-side door.

Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Lima police at 419-227-4444.