US Marshals find missing Northeast Ohio teen in California

Editorial staff, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·1 min read

May 18—The US Marshals Service Missing Child Unit in Cleveland has been working in conjunction with the Bellevue Police Department and Huron County Sheriff's Office to locate and recover 13-year-old Dominic Oakes, according to a news release.

Dominic was reported missing to the Bellevue Police Department on April 4, 2023, after he never returned home from school, the release said.

His whereabouts and safety were unknown until the evening of May 17.

The US Marshals Service Missing Child Unit in Cleveland and the Bellevue Police Department were able to develop information placing Dominic in central California with his biological mother, Tanya Garcia, 41, according to the release.

Garcia is not Dominic's legal guardian and subsequently was charged May 16 with interference with custody by the Bellevue Police Department, the release said.

The US Marshals Service Missing Child Unit in Riverside, Calf., with the help of Riverside County Sheriff's Office and the Cathedral City Police took both Garcia and Dominic into custody the evening of May 17 in Thousand Palms, Calif., according to the release.

Garcia was taken into custody on her outstanding warrant, and authorities will work to return Dominic to his legal guardian in Ohio, the release said.

"This case highlights the reach of the USMS Missing Child Unit and shows we will go anywhere to locate and recover our youth in Northern Ohio," said US Marshal Pete Elliott in the release. "Without great partnerships with our state and local partners, this case would still be open and unresolved."