ROSSFORD – A 9-year-old boy who police found walking along Interstate 75 Thursday night has been reunited
with his father.
Rossford Police Chief Glenn Goss said the boy, identified as Markise Epperson, was returned to his
father, a Toledo resident, just after midnight Friday.
"Turned out his father lived in Toledo, and he was a runaway," said Goss, "and he was
heading to Tennessee, not abducted in Tennessee like he originally told us."
Epperson was found around 9 p.m. walking along I-75 at the Rossford-Northwood border. He had initially
told police he was abducted in Tennessee on Tuesday while walking from a friend’s house.
He went on to say that two masked men placed him in their car and drove to Ohio where he was left at the
side of the road.
That story turned out to be false. Goss said it appears the boy was attempting to walk to Tennessee,
where his mother lives.
The father reportedly has custody of him, and the two had an argument prior to Markise leaving their
home.
During the investigation, Rossford police officers bought the boy a pizza and a root beer, gave him a
stuffed animal and let him watch television while they communicated with multiple jurisdictions to
gather more information.
Wood County Job and Family Services’ Children Services Bureau reportedly took custody of the boy after he
was found, and had been aiding in the investigation.
The matter, Goss said, was then turned over to Lucas County Children’s Services, who requested Markise be
released to his father.
Goss said that, though the boy provided a false story to police, they are not going to pursue any
charges.