Police Rescue 2,417 Women, Children Odisha Amid Missing Children Surge US States

Multiple U.S. states are experiencing a surge in missing children reports, causing significant concern among parents and law enforcement. In North Dakota, 21 juveniles went missing in August alone, with several still unaccounted for despite efforts by local police and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which stresses that runaway children should be treated as missing persons. Meanwhile, in Virginia, rumors of a mass kidnapping circulated widely on social media, but state police have firmly denied these claims, attributing the increase in reported missing children to the state's proactive policy of forwarding all missing child cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids. Virginia authorities reported that since January 2025, over 3,200 children have been reported missing, though only about 4% remain unlocated. Additionally, in Odisha, India, police rescued hundreds of missing children and women in a special operation, highlighting ongoing efforts to address child exploitation and disappearance. These developments underscore a growing global challenge of child disappearances and the importance of coordinated law enforcement responses and public awareness.