Bipartisan effort in Ohio aims to improve missing persons database

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- It’s a tragedy that has puzzled the West Side of Columbus for nineteen years—the disappearance of Andrew Chapman. 

“I was driving past a billboard every single day, and it was the billboard looking for information about Andrew Chapman’s disappearance,” said Rep. Christine Cockley (D-Columbus). 

Cockley eventually got in touch with Chapman’s sister, Aimee, and began talking with her and with other families of people who have disappeared. 

“It’s almost shocking how many people there are that have missing loved ones and unresolved cases,” said Cockley. “Especially in a world right now where there’s technology everywhere, it is mind-boggling, and it’s so sad to me that people still don’t have answers.” 

Currently, the Ohio Attorney General’s database lists more than a thousand missing persons cases in the state. About 800 of those are children, and about 350 are adults.

After being elected to the House of Representatives in 2024, Cockley and her colleague Rep. Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) had discussed potential legislation to help reunite families with missing loved ones.

“We actually first connected during our freshman orientation, and we both left a conversation feeling a little bit down but very motivated. And it was a conversation about human trafficking and missing people,” said Cockley. “And I thought to myself, this is a bill that we need to do, and Representative Ritter is the right person to do it with me. Because I could tell that he was empathetic to it.” 

Ritter and Cockley co-sponsored House Resolution 227, which encourages the U.S. Department of Justice to expedite the integration of two national crime databases—the National Crime Information Center and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database or “NamUS.” Merging the two databases would prevent law enforcement from wasting time looking in the wrong place for details on a missing persons case. 

In addition to H.R. 227, Ritter and Cockley introduced House Bill 217, which they now call Andy Chapman’s Act. 

“That is the real meat and potatoes I want to say,” said Cockley. “That would require law enforcement to utilize NameUs, it would allow for an administrative warrant, and then also would acknowledge the need for digitizing records within law enforcement. And those three pieces really emphasize the need for law enforcement to have data that’s easily accessible, clean, and up-to-date, especially for the families that are searching for answers.” 

Andy Chapman’s Act has found support among groups like the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, Freedom a la Carte, and the families of missing persons. In June, Aimee Chapman told lawmakers about her family’s struggles while searching for her missing brother. 

“We were the ones that had to file an estate in Andrew’s name to be able to pull records—records we feel the police should’ve been able to pull in the beginning,” said Chapman. “All of these records that could have been pulled at the beginning, unfortunately, were destroyed by the time we tried to pull them. So we just kept hitting roadblocks over and over. So I feel with this bill it will give police a map on how to follow through with these cases.” 

Both measures appear to have strong bipartisan support at the Statehouse. The House unanimously passed H.R. 227 on Wednesday, and Cockley expects a vote on Andy Chapman’s Act could come as early as next week.