Ohio Teen Missing for 263 Days Found Alive in Former Teacher’s Home as Family Raises Grooming Allegations

Former Springfield City School District teacher Jobe Binkley was arrested after officials found a missing 17-year-old girl in his home.

An Ohio teenager who had been missing for nearly nine months was found alive inside the home of a former teacher — the same location her family says they repeatedly urged authorities to investigate.

The 17-year-old disappeared on Dec. 2, 2025, after leaving the Huckleberry House crisis shelter in Columbus. She remained missing for 263 days before a US Marshals special task force entered the home of former Springfield City School District science teacher Jobe Binkley, 48, on Aug. 21 and found her inside.

Binkley was arrested and charged with one count of interference with custody, a first-degree misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty and was later released on bond.

Family says they repeatedly pointed police toward the house

The teen was staying at a shelter in Columbus, Ohio, when she ran away to Binkley’s home, officials said.Family handout

Chelsi Warner, the mother of the teenager’s half-sister, said relatives had suspected for months that the girl was staying with Binkley.

Warner alleged that Binkley began grooming the teenager after meeting her at school about two years ago. She said the girl had a difficult relationship with her mother and accused the former teacher of taking advantage of her desire for a parental figure.

“It’s absolutely disgusting,” Warner said, claiming the teenager does not recognize what the family believes happened to her.

According to Warner, relatives did more than simply tell police where they believed the teenager was hiding. She said the family had provided authorities with photographs allegedly showing the girl inside Binkley’s home.

Warner also claimed some of those images showed the teenager holding guns.

Despite those concerns, Binkley had reportedly denied police entry to his home twice during the investigation.

Task force eventually enters the home

Binkley was put on administrative leave in November 2025 following allegations of inappropriate behavior with students, which the district claims were unsubstantiated.Freedom GMC

The search finally ended on Aug. 21, when a US Marshals special task force entered Binkley’s residence and located the teenager alive.

Her discovery was particularly frustrating for family members because Warner said they had spent much of the previous nine months insisting that investigators look closely at that address.

“We had photos of her in the house holding guns, and we know about the allegations from other students against this man, but we were always told there’s not enough evidence yet,” Warner said.

The Springfield Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment cited in the original report.

The prosecutor handling Binkley’s case said more serious charges could not be pursued without the teenager’s cooperation.

Teen had reportedly been found with Binkley before

The December disappearance was not the first time the teenager had gone missing.

According to posts from relatives and friends, she disappeared in November 2025 and was reportedly located several days later while staying with Binkley.

Questions have also emerged about Binkley’s history with the school district.

He was placed on administrative leave in November 2024 and again in January 2025 amid allegations involving inappropriate behavior with students. The district said those allegations were unsubstantiated.

Binkley was ultimately fired in February 2025 for violating district policy concerning the use of technology.

Springfield City Schools said it had never been informed of allegations involving Binkley and the teenager who was eventually found at his home.

Family demands answers

Warner has accused the school district of failing to adequately address previous concerns surrounding the former teacher, claiming students possessed video evidence of inappropriate behavior.

The district, however, has maintained that previous allegations against Binkley could not be substantiated.

For the teenager’s family, the central frustration remains the length of time it took for the search to reach the home they say they had identified from the beginning.

After 263 days of uncertainty, the teenager was ultimately found alive just miles from where she had disappeared — inside the residence of a former teacher her relatives say they had been warning authorities about for months.