This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

There's no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic, which apparently originated in a Wuhan, China, lab where scientists were working to make viruses more lethal and dangerous, disrupted America's schools.

Years-long shutdowns were imposed, streaming classes and a lackadaisical attitude on the part of some about the needs of the children appeared.

Many parents turned to homeschooling, which can be done but takes an effort on their part, as well as on the part of the children.

But now a report confirms that about 1,000 students have been reported missing in just one state over the course of this year.

The total is nearly 50 for this month alone.

It is the Daily Mail that reported they could be runaways, victims of trafficking, becoming part of a gang, or something else.

For Ohio, last year, 1,600 kids were reported missing, in a state with a population of 11 million, nearly double the cases that developed in Georgia and North Carolina, where the numbers were about 700 for a similar population.

And some of those have returned home, or been otherwise accounted for, police said.

The report noted the Ohio attorney general's office confirmed there are now more than 45 missing minors in the greater Cleveland area – all reported missing since the start of the month.

Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy commented on the problem: "For some reason, in 2023, we've seen a lot more than we normally see, which is troubling in part because we don't know what's going on with some of these kids.

"Whether they're being trafficked or whether they're involved in gang activity or drugs."

Parents fret over where their children are, and police say there are just not enough officers to do all the work that's needed.

The Daily Mail wrote, "Other missing children include 14-year-old Gideon Hefner, who was last seen on September 12 in American Township, Ohio. According to the missing child report, he was wearing a dark-colored shirt, jeans, and black beanie and carrying a backpack at the time."

Majoy told the publication in his 33 years on the force, that he's never seen such high numbers of missing children.