Police allege Jobe Binkley knowingly harbored the 16-year-old despite being told that authorities were actively searching for her.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A 16-year-old Ohio girl who had been missing for more than eight months was found alive inside the Springfield home of a former public school teacher, who now faces a misdemeanor charge alleging he knowingly kept her from her lawful custodian.
Jobe Binkley, 48, has been charged with one count of interference with custody after authorities located the teenager at his home Aug. 21, according to court records and news reports. The girl had been missing since Dec. 2, 2025, when she was last seen in Columbus. Binkley has pleaded not guilty and has been released on bond. Authorities have not publicly established the nature of his relationship with the teenager, including whether he had ever taught her.
The teenager was reported missing after leaving Huckleberry House in Columbus, according to a missing-person report cited by Local 12. Her mother told Columbus police that the girl was from Springfield and was unfamiliar with the Columbus area. An Ohio Attorney General missing-child notice said she was 16 when she disappeared and noted that she might travel to Springfield. Because the case involves a minor, the teenager’s name is being withheld in this report.
The search ended Aug. 21 when Springfield police and an officer working with a U.S. Marshals Service task force went to Binkley’s home. According to a probable-cause affidavit cited by People, Binkley allegedly acknowledged that the teenager was inside and called for her to come out. She was found alive 263 days after her disappearance. Public reports reviewed Saturday did not describe her medical condition beyond indicating that she had been safely located.
Investigators allege that the Aug. 21 visit was not the first time officers went to Binkley’s residence looking for the girl. Court records cited by People and Local 12 say authorities had previously visited the home twice. During those earlier visits, Binkley allegedly refused to allow officers inside and said the missing teenager was not there, even though police say he had already been told she was an active missing person.
A criminal complaint filed Aug. 27 in Clark County Municipal Court accuses Binkley of knowingly allowing the girl to remain at his Springfield home despite her missing-person status. Under Ohio law, interference with custody generally prohibits knowingly keeping or harboring a child younger than 18 from a parent, guardian or custodian without legal privilege. The offense charged against Binkley is a first-degree misdemeanor. A conviction on a first-degree misdemeanor can carry a jail term of up to 180 days under state law. The charge remains an allegation, and Binkley is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Binkley previously worked as a teacher for Springfield City Schools. Personnel records obtained by Local 12 show the district placed him on administrative leave in November 2024 after concerns were raised about his professional interactions with students. School officials said those allegations were later determined to be unsubstantiated. He was again placed on leave in January 2025 and was dismissed the following month for violating district policy concerning technology use, according to the district.
Springfield City Schools said it did not learn about allegations involving the missing teenager until after Binkley was no longer employed by the district. Available reporting does not establish that the girl was one of Binkley’s students. Although one local report initially described him as her former high school teacher, other reporting and statements surrounding the case leave that connection unclear. No verified public record reviewed for this report establishes that Binkley taught the teenager.
The case also drew attention in Binkley’s neighborhood during the months the girl was missing. A nearby resident told Local 12 that social media posts had suggested the teenager might be staying at the property, but the neighbor said she never saw the girl there. Those suspicions were not proof of the teenager’s location, and police have not publicly detailed when investigators first began focusing on Binkley or what led officers back to his home on Aug. 21.
The precise date of Binkley’s next court appearance was reported differently as of Saturday. People, citing public court records on Sept. 12, reported that a pretrial hearing was scheduled for Sept. 30. Local 12, in a report updated Sept. 11, listed Sept. 28 as his next court date. No additional charges had been confirmed in the reliable sources reviewed for this report, and authorities have not publicly disclosed further details about how the teenager spent the months she was missing.
Author note: Last updated September 12, 2026.