COLUMBUS, OH (WOWO) More than 1,700 offenders in Ohio are currently missing from post-release supervision, according to data from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
A review of the state’s absconder database, reported by NBC4 in Columbus, shows the list includes offenders convicted of crimes ranging from theft and drug possession to kidnapping, rape and homicide. About 250 of those missing were last registered with residential addresses in Franklin County.
Among those listed is 36-year-old Quentin Jones, who was released from prison in 2023 after serving a sentence connected to the death of an infant. State records show Jones has been missing from supervision since October. Also listed is 51-year-old Gerard Matthews, who was released on parole in 2023 after serving more than two decades for involuntary manslaughter in the killing of a disabled woman.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction says offenders can be classified as absconders if they fail to report, move without approval, or tamper with court-ordered monitoring devices. The agency does not publicly disclose how each offender became missing.
According to the department’s 2025 annual report, one parole officer supervises an average of 48 individuals statewide. When an offender is deemed missing, staff are required to attempt to locate the person before seeking a warrant and notifying local law enforcement.
The DRC declined an interview request from NBC4 but states on its website that all violators at large should be considered dangerous and possibly armed. Anyone with information about a missing offender is urged to contact the department’s fugitive unit.
