Black and Missing Foundation pays for billboard showcasing 3 missing Northeast Ohioans

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - An organization dedicated to finding missing people of color has started a 16-city billboard campaign to increase visibility for missing people in the area.

Officials say the Black and Missing foundation is celebrating their 15-year anniversary by putting up billboards in 16 cities across the U.S highlighting missing people in each city.

“They don’t have enough coverage for people that are black that are missing. They don’t have enough coverage, on the news, or in the papers” said Cleveland native Laura Wilmore.

Paige Coffey, Rajah McQueen and Tonny Scriven were the three missing people from the Cleveland area featured on the billboard.

Coffey was last seen in the suburbs of Cleveland on May 1, 2019.

Rajah McQueen has been missing since June 2021.

McQueen was last seen driving her silver 2018 Nissan Sentra near a busy gas station in the area of E. 131st and Harvard Avenue around 7:30 a.m..

Police say her car was seen on surveillance cameras later with bullet holes in the roof and rear back door being driven by someone else.

Tonny Scriven has been missing from Cleveland since April of 2020.

A total of 48 people will be featured on the billboards across the country, officials say.

According to a press release from the foundation missing people of color often go under the radar even though they make up 40% of the missing population.

“Where are they? Are they ok? How are their families doing? What are the police doing to help them find them? What is the community doing to help find them?” said Wilmore.

Campaign leaders say they expect to reach over 10 million people across the country in hopes of a safe recovery or answers for family.

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