Ohio Teen Missing for 263 Days Found Alive at Former Teacher’s Home After Two Earlier Police Visits
Jobe Binkley, a former Ohio teacher, has been arrested after a teenage girl who had been missing for over 260 days was found at his house (Clark County Jail)
An Ohio teenager who disappeared from a transitional living facility was found alive 263 days later inside the Springfield home of a former teacher who had allegedly denied she was there during two previous visits by authorities.
The girl, who was 16 when she vanished on Dec. 2, 2025, was located on Aug. 21, 2026, after an officer working with the U.S. Marshals Service went to an address in Clark County.
Court documents allege that the homeowner, 48-year-old Jobe Binkley, acknowledged that the teenager was inside and called for her to come out.
Binkley has since been charged with one count of interference with custody, a first-degree misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty and was released on bond, according to court records.
Authorities had visited the property twice before
Binkley had allegedly told police that the teenager was not at his address (pictured) on two previous occasions (Google)
The teenager’s discovery has drawn particular attention because investigators had reportedly visited Binkley’s home on two earlier occasions while searching for her.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Binkley allegedly refused to allow officers inside and said the missing girl was not at the property. Authorities say he had been informed that she was listed as an active missing person.
The circumstances surrounding the teenager’s time at the house have not been publicly explained. It also remains unclear how she and Binkley knew each other or whether he had ever taught her.
Investigators may examine electronic communications involving Binkley and the teenager as they determine whether any additional charges are warranted.
Former Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said cases involving an adult suspected of taking advantage of a minor can initially result in an interference-with-custody charge while investigators seek further evidence.
“Oftentimes, you really need the cooperation of the minor to do that,” O’Brien said. “Sometimes they’re willing to provide that information and other times not.”
Former teacher’s employment history examined
Binkley previously worked for the Springfield City School District.
Personnel records show that he was placed on administrative leave in November 2024 after concerns were raised about his professional interactions with students. The district later determined that those allegations were unsubstantiated.
He was placed on leave again in January 2025 and dismissed the following month for violating a district policy concerning technology use.
The school district has said it did not learn of the allegations involving the missing teenager until after Binkley was no longer employed there.
No authority has publicly confirmed whether the girl was one of Binkley’s former students.
Neighbor recalls rumors surrounding the home
Danielle Flint, who lives near the property where the teenager was discovered, said she had seen online posts suggesting the missing girl might be staying at the address.
Flint said she had looked around the area in hopes of spotting the teenager but never saw her outside the home.
“I’ve tried to peek around here and see if I can catch her, you know, in the back or maybe out of the house at night, but I had never seen her,” she said.
Reflecting on what the girl’s family endured during the search, Flint added: “I would literally lose every piece of me if that was one of my girls.”
Binkley is scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing on Sept. 30. The interference-with-custody allegation remains pending, and his not-guilty plea means the charge has not been proven in court.
Authorities have not released further details about how the teenager came to be at the home or what occurred during the nearly nine months she was missing.