On Monday, November 11, 2024, an Amber Alert was issued in Ohio after Charles Alexander, a 43-year-old man, abducted his 7-year-old daughter, Oaklynn Alexander, from a relative's home in Empire, Ohio. Alexander did not have custodial rights to the child. The incident began when Alexander went to pick up his daughter from school, but the girl's grandmother intervened and took the child to her house. Alexander then abducted the child from the grandmother's house, striking another female with his vehicle in the process.
Alexander initially used a Ford F-150, which he later abandoned at a hotel in Fairlawn, and then stole a 2023 Ford F-650 U-Haul with an Arizona license plate. Law enforcement agencies, including the Medina County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Brunswick Division of Police, Montville Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, and Medina Fire Department, were involved in the search.
During the chase, Alexander made multiple threats to shoot his daughter and himself if police did not back off. The chase continued until Alexander took an exit off I-71 to Route 18 in Medina Township, where the U-Haul stopped in the parking lot of an Arby's. Despite extensive efforts to negotiate with Alexander, he continued to make threats against his daughter, leading to a fatal shooting by a member of the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Special Response Team.
The shooting occurred after Alexander fired shots at officers, prompting them to retreat and call for additional resources. The daughter, Oaklynn Alexander, was safely recovered and reunited with her mother, while Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the incident.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting the Medina County Sheriff's Office in the investigation of the incident.
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