Over 600,000 individuals are entered into the NCIC system each year by law enforcement agencies across the United States. Approximately 89% of these entries are canceled and cleared by law enforcement agencies, roughly 12% of the canceled and cleared entries are due to the missing persons being located. Close to 10% of missing individuals reported during the year are either endangered, abducted, or kidnapped.[1]
Missing & Unidentified Persons
You may have seen on television that you cannot report a person missing for at least 24 hours. However, a number of sources have debunked that myth. Especially when it involves a missing child, the elderly, a person with mental illness, or a person believed to be in grave danger. Most police departments will expedite these types of cases by issuing alerts across nationwide broadcast messaging systems.
When filing a police report for a missing person, you need to provide the police with as much detail as possible. This includes the following:
- Last known location or whereabouts
- What the person was wearing
- Identifying marks or tattoos
- The most recent picture of the person
- Height, weight, hair and eye color
- Who the person was last seen with.
- Any known medical, mental, or physical state or conditions.
Once you have filed the report, you should obtain the name and contact information of the person overseeing the case and the police report or case number.
Odds of Finding Missing Person
A large number of cases entered in the FBI’s NCIC database include multiple entries of a teenage runaway. According to recent statistics reported by the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), over 40% of active missing persons records involved individuals under the age of 21. [1]
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that more than half of these missing children cases are endangered runaways and victims of sex trafficking. When a child has been reported missing, it is logged into the NCIC and an NCIC identification number is assigned to the child per federal law. [3]
Locating an individual within the first 48-72 hours that they go missing is crucial to preserve evidence and to follow up on leads. Not to mention for every hour that a person is missing, the lower the chances of finding the person alive. When a child is kidnapped by a stranger(which is very rare), the chances of the child being found alive are less than 50%. [4]
The Amber Alert, an emergency broadcasting message system, has been credited for the safe return of kids that are kidnapped, whether it is a family or non-family abduction. It is said that most children are released by their abductor once an Amber Alert has been issued.
When individuals are reported missing, the majority come home or are found dead within a week of being reported missing. Within a year all but a small percentage less than 2% come home or are found dead. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System(NamUs), reports that there are about 4,400 unidentified bodies that are found each year. After a year of being found approximately 23% of these bodies remain unidentified. [2]
Searching for a Loved One
When it comes to searching for a loved one, there are a number of approaches that can be utilized. This includes hanging up posters, handing out flyers, contacting jails and hospitals, speaking with friends, acquaintances, and/or co-workers, and contacting law enforcement.
When a person is reported missing the case is filed with the Missing Persons Clearinghouse and it remains open indefinitely or until the case is solved, canceled, or cleared. After one year if the person has not been located, the case becomes a cold case.
Hiring a Private Investigator
Some people may choose to hire a private investigator to search for their missing loved ones. Private investigators have more leeway when it comes to investigating missing persons. They can locate people using a number of different resources and they do not have to wait for time to elapse before they begin searching for a missing person. Not to mention they are more responsive and attentive than law enforcement is.
This is not because law enforcement doesn’t care or fails to validate their concerns, oftentimes they are bogged down with large caseloads and they are required to spread their time and efforts across these cases. Private Investigators are able to fully commit their time and expend all resources in locating a lost or missing loved one. In the eyes of a PI, there is no statute of limitations when it comes to searching for a missing person.
Private investigators have no restrictions or limitations on the type of cases that they investigate, including missing person cases. They can investigate cold cases, closed cases, active cases, and cases not reported to law enforcement, such as finding a lost relative, or individuals that choose not to be found.
What do Private Investigators do?
When private investigators are hired to locate people, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is “missing”. Private investigators are hired for a number of reasons other than following cheating spouses. This includes locating birth parents or people trying to evade the law.
There are a number of methods that private investigators use to search for people. Including surveillance, networking, background checks, informants, as well as scouring public records and social media profiles. Some private investigators may work with your local law enforcement agencies to assist with locating people.
Most private investigators are former law enforcement agents, therefore they have the knowledge, experience, and skills to locate people. There are a number of organizations that work with private investigators and law enforcement agents with providing the necessary resources to locate individuals. This includes vehicle resources, whether it is for air, land, or sea.
Conclusion
When it comes to searching for a missing person it is important to act fast. Allowing too much time to pass can be the difference between life and death. If you have a missing loved one, adult or child and you feel your case is not getting the attention it needs, you may want to look into using a private investigator.
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