An Ohio teenager who was reported missing after she was last seen in Columbus was located 263 days later inside the Springfield home of her former high school science teacher, according to police and court records.
The 16-year-old was reported missing after running away from Huckleberry House in Columbus on December 2, 2025. She was last seen wearing a gray hoodie and black trousers and heading south, according to a missing person complaint from Columbus Police.
Her mother informed CPD that the adolescent was from Springfield and unfamiliar with the Columbus area.
The teenager’s family, police, and Springfield neighbors all spent months looking for answers. Danielle Flint, who lives two doors down from the house where the youngster was eventually discovered, said she had seen Facebook posts implying that the girl might be residing there.
Flint attempted to catch a peek of the teenager either outside or in her backyard, but did not see her.I’ve attempted to look around here to see if I could catch her in the back or outside the home at nite, but I’ve never seen her,” Flint explained.
On August 21, 263 days after the boy was last seen, Springfield police and an officer from the US Marshals’ special taskforce went to Jobe Binkley’s home on West North Street and found him alive inside. According to court records obtained by ABC 6, cops had already visited Binkley’s home twice and requested a search for the girl.
At the time, Binkley blocked authorities’ entry into his home, claiming that the missing person was not inside. The records also show Binkley was aware that the adolescent had been reported missing.
“For nine months, you have not been able to find your baby; is she dead, alive, or okay. “I, I cannot imagine,” Flint stated. “I couldn’t imagine how her mother felt.”
Binkley previously worked as a teacher in Springfield City School District.
According to Binkley’s employment file, which ABC 6 obtained following a public records request, he was placed on administrative leave in November 2024 after the district learned of concerns about his professional dealings with pupils. The district stated that those charges were unfounded.
Binkley was placed on administrative leave again in January 2025 and fired the following month for violating district policy on technology use, according to the district.
Springfield City Schools stated that it was never made aware of allegations regarding this specific youngster until Binkley was no longer employed by the district.
“If he was her teacher, that’s absolutely beyond disturbing,” Flint replied. “Are our kids safe in our schools now?”
Binkley has been charged with interference with custody and is free on bond.
According to former Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, additional charges may be filed when the matter advances to a grand jury, based on the findings of the investigation. He said investigators might look at evidence from Binkley’s phone and the adolescent’s phone, as well as what the youngster tells them about what transpired inside Binkley’s house and during her disappearance.
“If you have an adult trying to take advantage of a minor, oftentimes the only charge you might be able to lodge at the outset is an interference with custody,” O’Brien stated. “You often need the minor’s agreement to do this. Sometimes they’re willing to share that knowledge, and sometimes not.
For Flint, the reality that the adolescent was so close to home after being absent for 263 days is tough to grasp.
“I would literally lose every piece of me if that was one of my girls,” Flint replied.
Binkley’s next court date is September 28.
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