Jobe Binkley, 48, is charged with interference with custody after authorities located the girl Aug. 21 in Springfield.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A teen who was 16 when she disappeared from Columbus was found alive after 263 days at the Springfield home of former public school teacher Jobe Binkley, who now faces a misdemeanor charge alleging he knowingly kept her from her lawful custodian.
The girl had been missing since Dec. 2, 2025, when she was last seen after leaving Huckleberry House in Columbus, according to missing-person information and court records cited in news reports. Authorities located her Aug. 21 at Binkley’s home. A criminal complaint filed six days later in Clark County Municipal Court charged Binkley, 48, with one count of interference with custody, a first-degree misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty and has been released on bond.
According to a probable-cause affidavit reviewed by People, an officer working with a U.S. Marshals Service task force went to Binkley’s residence Aug. 21 as part of the search. Investigators allege Binkley acknowledged that the teenager was inside and called for her to come out. Authorities found her alive. Public reports have not provided details about her medical condition beyond indicating that she was safely located.
Investigators allege officers had gone to Binkley’s home twice before the Aug. 21 visit. During those earlier attempts, Binkley allegedly refused to allow officers inside and told them the missing girl was not there, according to the affidavit. Police also allege that Binkley had been informed she was an active missing person. Those allegations form part of the custody-interference case against him and have not been proven in court.
The teenager’s disappearance began more than eight months earlier. Reports citing an Ohio missing-child notice said she was 16 when she disappeared and might travel to Springfield. Recent reports differ on her current age, with some describing her as 17. Because she is a minor and the case involves allegations surrounding her disappearance, her name is being withheld here. Authorities have not publicly provided a complete account of where she stayed throughout the 263 days she was missing.
The nature of the relationship between Binkley and the teenager remains unclear in verified public reporting. Binkley previously worked as a teacher for Springfield City Schools, but available records and statements do not establish that he taught the girl. Springfield City Schools told ABC 6 that the district did not learn of allegations involving the missing teenager until after Binkley was no longer employed there. That distinction is significant because some early descriptions of the case referred to Binkley as the girl’s former teacher even though that specific teacher-student relationship has not been publicly confirmed.
Binkley’s earlier employment history has also drawn attention since the teenager was found. Records obtained by ABC 6 and later cited by People show that the district placed him on administrative leave in November 2024 after concerns were raised about his professional interactions with students. The district said those allegations were investigated and determined to be unsubstantiated. Binkley was placed on administrative leave again in January 2025 and was dismissed the following month for violating district policy concerning technology use, according to the district. Those employment matters are separate from the criminal charge now pending.
A relative of the teenager told the New York Post that family members had repeatedly told authorities they believed the girl was staying at Binkley’s residence. The relative also said family members had provided police with photographs they believed showed the teenager inside the home. Those assertions have not been independently established in the publicly available court material reviewed for this report. Springfield police had not publicly provided a detailed response explaining the investigative decisions made during the months before the teen was found.
Ohio law defines interference with custody to include knowingly, or recklessly without legal privilege, keeping or harboring a child younger than 18 from a parent, guardian or custodian. A violation involving a child is generally a first-degree misdemeanor unless circumstances specified in state law raise the offense to a felony. Binkley is currently charged only with the misdemeanor count. The charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted of a first-degree misdemeanor, a defendant in Ohio can face up to 180 days in jail. State law also allows a fine of up to $1,000. No additional criminal charges against Binkley had been confirmed in the reliable reports reviewed as of Sunday. Authorities also have not publicly announced findings that explain the full circumstances of the teenager’s stay at his home or whether anyone else could face charges connected to her disappearance.
Binkley remains out on bond after entering a not-guilty plea. People, citing public court records reviewed Sept. 12, reported that a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30. The teenager has been found safe, but authorities have released few details about her circumstances since she was located. The criminal case remains pending in Clark County Municipal Court.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.