Missing schoolgirl found alive at the Ohio home of a former teacher nearly nine months after she disappeared from a crisis shelter, ending a 263-day search that her family says repeatedly pointed investigators toward the same address.
The 17-year-old was discovered inside the Columbus-area home of Jobe Binkley, 48, on August 21 after a special task force involving the US Marshals entered the property, according to ABC 6. She had disappeared from Huckleberry House, a crisis shelter in Columbus, on December 2, 2025.
Her family had repeatedly told police that they believed the teenager was staying at Binkley’s home. Relatives say they even provided investigators with photographs that they believed showed the girl inside the property.
Binkley, a former science teacher with the Springfield City School District, was arrested and charged with interference with custody, a first-degree misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty and was later released on bond.
The case has raised difficult questions for the girl’s family, who say they had been trying for months to convince authorities that she was at Binkley’s house.
Chelsi Warner, the mother of the girl’s half-sister, told The Post that she believes Binkley developed a relationship with the teenager when she was his student and took advantage of her difficult relationship with her family. Warner has previously housed the girl and described Binkley as someone who allegedly positioned himself as a parental figure in her life.
Warner also said the teenager had previously run away and stayed at Binkley’s home. According to posts shared by family and friends, the girl was reported missing in November last year and was later found staying with him.
Those allegations have not been established in court. Binkley has denied wrongdoing, and prosecutors have indicated that the available evidence limited the charges that could be brought against him. The prosecutor reportedly said a more serious charge could not be pursued without the teenager’s cooperation.
The family remains critical of how the investigation was handled. Warner said relatives had warned police several times that the girl could be inside Binkley’s home and had supplied photographs they believed supported their concerns.
“We had photos of her in the house holding guns,” Warner told The Post, while also pointing to previous allegations involving Binkley and students. She said the family repeatedly received the response that there was not enough evidence to take further action.
Binkley’s history with the school district had already attracted scrutiny before the teenager’s disappearance. He was placed on administrative leave in November 2024 and again in January 2025. The district terminated his employment the following month for violating its technology-use policy.
Binkley had also faced allegations of inappropriate behavior involving students in the past, although those allegations do not by themselves establish criminal wrongdoing.
The circumstances surrounding the teenager’s 263 days away from the shelter, including how long she had been inside Binkley’s home and what happened during that period, remain central to the investigation.
For her family, however, the discovery brings both relief and frustration. The teenager has been found alive, but questions remain about why the search lasted so long despite repeated claims from relatives that she was at the former teacher’s home.
The case is likely to face further scrutiny as authorities determine what happened during the girl’s disappearance and whether additional charges are warranted.
