A specialized federal task force tracked down and safely recovered three missing sibling children in East Cleveland late this afternoon, ending a months-long search that began when the kids ran away from a county facility in March.
Members of the U.S. Marshals-led Specialized Personnel for Enforcement, Apprehension and Recovery (SPEAR) Unit first took over the case on June 30. Investigators quickly determined that the three missing children—a 17-year-old male, a 12-year-old female, and a 10-year-old male—were all brothers and sisters.
The trio had been missing since March 30, 2026, after they left the Jane Edna Building. Authorities believed from the start of the investigation that the siblings had run away together to live with their biological mother, Chaquitta Luster.
Luster had previously lost legal custody of the children following allegations of medical neglect involving one of the kids, who is paralyzed from a gunshot wound suffered during early childhood.
Task force members focused their search on an East Cleveland neighborhood today, eventually locating both the mother and all three children inside a residence on the 15600 block of Terrace Road.
Luster was taken into custody at the scene on an outstanding warrant for interference with custody issued by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.
Following the raid, the three children were transported to Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital for medical evaluation as a precautionary measure. Officials confirmed they will be turned over to Children’s Services.
“We are thankful these three children are safe,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement following the operation. “Communication between the law enforcement partners as well as Children’s Services helped to make this a quick and safe recovery for all three children.”
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