Four Ohio Kids Abducted, Likely Traveling to Florida with Armed and Dangerous Man

kidnappers — Charles Perkins and Marianne Merritt are wanted for allegedly abducting four children. Lima Police Departmnet/Facebook

Reporter

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

Police are desperately calling for the public's help to locate four children they believe have been abducted by a dangerous man and his companion.

The Lima, Ohio, police launched a nationwide manhunt to find 39-year-old Charles Perkins and 40-year-old Marianne Merritt, who allegedly abducted the children and are traveling to Florida. All residents of states between Ohio and Florida are encouraged to keep an eye out for a dark-blue 2000 Chrysler Voyager with a white-colored door. The Ohio license plate number is FMQ3175.

Merritt is the mother of the children, and Perkins is her boyfriend. Merritt does not have custodial rights to the children, who range in age between 8 and 13. They are:

8-year-old Damien Wilson—blond hair, blue eyes, 4 feet 5 inches tall and last seen wearing a blue shirt and red and black shorts.

9-year-old Patience Wilson—blond hair, blue eyes, 4 feet 5 inches tall and last seen wearing a white top and dark blue/black leggins.

12-year-old Benjamin Karl-Leland Croley—blond hair, blue eyes, 5 feet 1 inch tall and last seen wearing yellow smiley emoji pants.

13-year-old Damara Croley—brown hair, blue eyes, 5 feet 3 inches tall and last seen wearing a red Ohio State University shirt and Spider-Man web pants.

The children were last seen on North Main Street on Tuesday at about 1:30 a.m. Anyone with information should call the Lima Police Department on 419-227-4444.

Merritt is described as having red hair and green eyes and stands at about 5 feet 5 inches. Perkins, who is wanted for child abuse, is described as being 5 feet 5 inches and balding with brown hair and brown eyes. Perkins is considered armed and dangerous, Lima police said on the department's Facebook page.

It is not yet known who the fathers of the children are. Lima police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Concerned Americans have been sharing the Facebook post across the social media site. At the time of this writing, it had been shared more than 1,500 times. The post was also updated to include photos of the four children, as well as photos of Merritt and Perkins.