Suspect Arrested After Ohio Amber Alert for Missing 13-Year-Old Girl
An Amber Alert issued on Friday for a missing 13-year-old girl from Columbus has been canceled after she was safely recovered in Springfield at 6:19 p.m. The suspect involved in her disappearance, 48-year-old Shane Smith, was arrested in Springfield around 8:10 p.m.
Springfield police confirmed that the girl was found unharmed, and that Smith, a Springfield resident, was apprehended. Authorities had warned that Smith may have been armed and dangerous. According to court documents, Smith was familiar to the girl and her family. He allegedly convinced her to run away with him, intending to start a new life as a couple in a different state. The documents also suggest the two had a sexual relationship.
Smith has been charged with kidnapping. Additionally, he has two open cases in Clark County: one for felonious assault with a firearm, filed in October 2023, and another for cocaine possession, filed in February 2024.
The Amber Alert was initially issued around 3:45 p.m. following the girl’s disappearance.
