COLUMBUS, Ohio — In west Columbus, Karen Litchington has been searching for her grandson, Arthur Lowery, since he ran away from home on Aug. 30.
“It is not safe for a 14-year-old boy to be out on the street,” she said.
Arthur is a freshman at West High School and plays on the football team. When Litchington said she found out he was skipping practice, they got into a fight and he ran away after his football game last Friday night. He has not been at school since he ran away.
Arthur’s aunt, Dez Corssett, has been searching too. They believe he is hiding with some friends and are unsure of the next steps to take to bring him home safely.
“He is a 14-year-old child, he is not a grown man and I believe he is being influenced by the wrong people. He is not going to school and we are his family. We just want him home,” Corssett said.
Arthur has gotten into trouble before, and they’re worried they cannot keep him out of trouble if they do not even know where he is.
“I don’t let my child run the streets, he is home every day, this is not like him. I need him to come home. We can work through this,” Litchington said.
The family filed a report with the Columbus Division of Police. Franklin County Children Services is not involved in runaway cases unless there are concerns with a child's safety at home, according to a spokesperson.
There are currently about 700 missing children in the state of Ohio, according to the attorney general’s office.
In 2023, more than 17,000 children were reported missing. Of those, 98% of them had been reunited with their families by the end of the year. Around 10,000 of those children were considered runaways, like Lowery.
His family is hoping he will come home on his own.
“I just keep waiting,” Litchington said.