If a small child goes missing, most parents won’t hesitate to call the police. If a teenager or adult goes missing, it’s a bit harder to know what to do. Maybe you have to wait 24 hours before reporting a loved one or friend missing. Can the police really do anything if an adult disappears without any indication of foul play? It’s not illegal to disappear as an adult.
The good news is that most missing persons cases are resolved quickly or resolved on their own. Here are a few actionable tips on what steps you can take if a loved one goes missing.
Trust Your Gut
Call the police if your child is not where they’re supposed to be or is missing. Even police officers will tell you it’s better to have them respond to a false report than to miss the chance to find a child who is at risk.
If a young child goes missing, call the police immediately, even if it’s likely that the child is hiding or has wandered off. Most parents know the feeling of losing a child in a store. If this happens to you, tell an employee or the store manager immediately.
When A Teen Goes Missing
Teens are a lot more mobile and independent, making it more difficult to tell when something has gone wrong. 16- or 17-year-olds tend to be out past their curfews often. Sometimes, they don’t respond to messages or answer their phones. When is this normal, and when should you act?
Again, trusting your gut is the key. Text or call their friends to try and find them, and contact the police as well. Teens are sometimes late and don’t answer their phones to avoid getting lectured by their parents.
There’s always a risk. Children at that age can be abducted and harmed. It’s always best to notify the police.
Read Also: The Importance Of Good Relations Between The Police And Local Community
Are They In The Hospital?
They might have had an accident and were taken to a hospital somewhere. If you need to find someone in a hospital, there are several ways to do a patient lookup. The most obvious approach is calling the hospitals in the area and asking if they’ve admitted your loved one. Alternatively, you can use a public records search or a people search website.
Make A Phone Call To NCMEC
For missing persons up to 20 years old, you can call 1-800-THE-LOST, a number operated by the NCMEC. Do this after filing a missing person report. The NCMEC works in coordination with federal and local law enforcement and offers an extra layer of resources to parents of missing children. These include publicizing the person’s photo on TV and social media as fast as possible.
What About Missing Adults?
Individuals 18 and over of sound mind may choose to disappear, cutting off contact with all relatives and friends. The police might not look for them unless there is clear evidence of foul play. Still, nothing can stop you from reporting a loved one missing if you feel something might be wrong.
You should provide law enforcement with as many details as you can about your missing loved one: where they eat, work, or hang out, what car they drive, and what they were wearing the last time you saw them.
The police’s response will depend on the circumstances of the disappearance. For example, it’s quite odd to get up and leave without your prescription drugs, wallet, or vehicle. It’s out of the ordinary to forget to pick up your spouse from work or your child from school. In such circumstances, the police are likely to react.
Another situation that merits an instant and aggressive police response is when the person is mentally ill. Outside of these special situations, police are not likely to invest many resources in the case.
Other Measures To Take
NAMUS is a national database of missing persons which also offers support for families and police. Social networks are a vital resource in missing person cases. Ask people you know to post information and pictures about the missing person on all social networks. Encourage friends and acquaintances to call 911 if they have info about the case or recognize the person somewhere.
Call local TV and radio stations and ask if they’re willing to share information about the person, especially if there is a reward for any information that helps find them.
Use a recent photo and create a flyer. Explain what the person was wearing when you last saw them, the date when you last saw them, and if they have tattoos or other identifying marks.
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