What To Do If Your Child Is Missing
Every 40 seconds a child is found to be missing or abducted in this country.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children say strangers kidnap about 300 children a year in the U.S.
It is up to us as adults to do whatever we can to protect them.
Education and communication, according to police are two of the most important factors in protecting your children.
Talk to them about what dangers there are. It is always very important to be willing to listen them.
Become a neighborhood watch person, and make your home a designated safe place for them to come for help.
Always keep your eyes open. If you see something out of the ordinary
or a child confides in you, do not be afraid to report it.
Notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation: If you suspect a predatory abduction. The FBI will initiate a kidnapping investigation involving a missing child of tender years, defined as a child twelve years or younger, even though there is no known interstate aspect. The FBI will monitor other kidnapping situations when there is no evidence of interstate travel, and it offers assistance from various entities including the FBI Laboratory. They have written protocols, dedicated agents, unsurpassed resources and vast experience in this specialized investigative field.
Log onto or refer the responding law enforcement agency to www.beyondmissing.com: This revolutionary Website allows registered law enforcement agencies to immediately create and distribute missing fliers to other targeted law enforcement agencies using powerful Internet tools. Parents can also create, download and print fliers for duplication, but not database or electronically distribute missing fliers. There is no cost for either service.
Notify all local media assignment desks: The sooner television and radio begin notifying the community that a child has been kidnapped, the better the chances of recovery. It's as simple as that.
Notify your local non-profit Child Locate Service: They can provide an array of services pertinent to your situation. Child Locate Services exist to assist in the recovery of missing children. Do not overlook this important resource.
If you believe that you child has been kidnapped: Contact the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
If you believe that your child has been kidnapped: Contact Team H.O.P.E., a parent support network for families with missing children. Team H.O.P.E. volunteer parents have experienced the agony of searching for their own children. They provide practical and emotional support for parents whose children are victims of predatory kidnapping, parental abduction, international abduction, adult missing and runaways and can be reached at 1-800-306-6311.
If you believe that your child has run away: Contact the National Runaway Switchboard at 1-800-621-4000.
Keep your home phone attended by someone your child knows: Install Caller ID if you do not already have that service and record conversations. This may be the only way your child knows how to reach you.
Take care to preserve your physical and emotional welfare: Friends, neighbors and even total strangers will be working toward a successful resolution, but you must remember to eat and sleep regularly. This will be the most daunting and difficult journey that you will ever take and you will need sobriety, presence of mind and good judgment if it is to be successful. Seek emotional and psychological support from your church, a social service agency or even a professional counselor with experience in your type of situation. Remember that you alone are leading the battle for the return of your missing child.
Suggestions by the Polly Klaas Foundation
Double check with friends, family, work, and school that the person is missing and not just on a vacation or on a leave of absence.
Contact the local, county, or state law enforcement agency to make a missing person report (you do not have to contact all three if one opens an investigation).
Ask the law enforcement agency to open a missing person investigation.
Obtain a case number or copy of the report, if possible.
Ask for the detective or investigators name and extension number or direct line.
Ask the police department to enter the missing person's information into the National Crime Information Center's (NCIC) database and obtain the NIC number, if possible (starts with "Mfollowed by nine numeric digits, M-123456789).
Provide as much information as possible on the person's behavior and whereabouts prior to the disappearance. It is very important to honest with the investigators.
Did the person take any personal belongings like money, wallet, or purse?
Check for a letter or note that may have been left.
Did the missing person say they would be traveling elsewhere or meeting anyone?
Notify the Center for Missing Adults at 1-800-690-FIND.
Notify your state clearinghouse, if they register missing adults (Center for Missing Adults can assist you with finding the phone number).
Notify other non-profit organizations that assist with missing adults.
Circulate missing person posters of the missing adult except in locations prohibited by city codes. Ask the managers or owners of convenient stores, malls, businesses, and other high traffic areas to post a flier of the missing person.
Contact hospitals, jails, and medical examiners in the area and give them a flier.
Ask for additional referrals or support group information to find out if what worked for other families may work for you.
Find out your state's laws on victim's rights because you may be entitled to certain privileges as the family member of a missing loved one.
Notify the law enforcement agency of any tips, leads, or if the missing person is located.
Notify the clearinghouses and non-profit organizations of any updates or if the missing person is located.
Checking in with the Investigator Periodically
Don't be afraid to ask questions but remember the investigator can't always release all the information because they don't want jeopardize the case and make it less likely to find your missing loved one.
Ask how you can help (posting law enforcement approved fliers, contacting other organizations, etc.).
Ask if the investigators need DNA, fingerprints, or dental records.
Verify that the missing person is still entered in NCIC.
Update the law enforcement agency and missing person organizations with your contact information (like mailing address, e-mail, and home, work, or cell phone numbers) if you move or have them changed.
Remember that it is important for you to work cooperatively with your investigator.
Don't be afraid to ask a trusted family member or friend to help relay the information to other organizations.
Never use your own contact information like phone numbers or address on a missing person poster because it could put you in a vulnerable position.
Keeping notes of your important conversations is helpful to refresh your memory.
If you would like to make your own poster, visit www.BeyondMissing.com.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children say strangers kidnap about 300 children a year in the U.S.
It is up to us as adults to do whatever we can to protect them.
Education and communication, according to police are two of the most important factors in protecting your children.
Talk to them about what dangers there are. It is always very important to be willing to listen them.
Become a neighborhood watch person, and make your home a designated safe place for them to come for help.
Always keep your eyes open. If you see something out of the ordinary
or a child confides in you, do not be afraid to report it.
If Your Child Is Missing
Immediately call (911) and all other local law enforcement agencies: Do not stop after you have called 911. Depending on your circumstances, contact your local Police Department, County Sheriff, State Police or Highway Patrol, law enforcement in surrounding jurisdictions and the Border Patrol if applicable. Remember, there is no 24 or 48-hour waiting period. If you meet resistance demand to speak to the watch commander and insist that they take a report and enter the information into the National Crime Information Computer (NCIC) at once.Notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation: If you suspect a predatory abduction. The FBI will initiate a kidnapping investigation involving a missing child of tender years, defined as a child twelve years or younger, even though there is no known interstate aspect. The FBI will monitor other kidnapping situations when there is no evidence of interstate travel, and it offers assistance from various entities including the FBI Laboratory. They have written protocols, dedicated agents, unsurpassed resources and vast experience in this specialized investigative field.
Log onto or refer the responding law enforcement agency to www.beyondmissing.com: This revolutionary Website allows registered law enforcement agencies to immediately create and distribute missing fliers to other targeted law enforcement agencies using powerful Internet tools. Parents can also create, download and print fliers for duplication, but not database or electronically distribute missing fliers. There is no cost for either service.
Notify all local media assignment desks: The sooner television and radio begin notifying the community that a child has been kidnapped, the better the chances of recovery. It's as simple as that.
Notify your local non-profit Child Locate Service: They can provide an array of services pertinent to your situation. Child Locate Services exist to assist in the recovery of missing children. Do not overlook this important resource.
If you believe that you child has been kidnapped: Contact the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
If you believe that your child has been kidnapped: Contact Team H.O.P.E., a parent support network for families with missing children. Team H.O.P.E. volunteer parents have experienced the agony of searching for their own children. They provide practical and emotional support for parents whose children are victims of predatory kidnapping, parental abduction, international abduction, adult missing and runaways and can be reached at 1-800-306-6311.
If you believe that your child has run away: Contact the National Runaway Switchboard at 1-800-621-4000.
Keep your home phone attended by someone your child knows: Install Caller ID if you do not already have that service and record conversations. This may be the only way your child knows how to reach you.
Take care to preserve your physical and emotional welfare: Friends, neighbors and even total strangers will be working toward a successful resolution, but you must remember to eat and sleep regularly. This will be the most daunting and difficult journey that you will ever take and you will need sobriety, presence of mind and good judgment if it is to be successful. Seek emotional and psychological support from your church, a social service agency or even a professional counselor with experience in your type of situation. Remember that you alone are leading the battle for the return of your missing child.
Suggestions by the Polly Klaas Foundation
Missing Adult Check-List
www.nmco.org/
Double check with friends, family, work, and school that the person is missing and not just on a vacation or on a leave of absence.
Contact the local, county, or state law enforcement agency to make a missing person report (you do not have to contact all three if one opens an investigation).
Ask the law enforcement agency to open a missing person investigation.
Obtain a case number or copy of the report, if possible.
Ask for the detective or investigators name and extension number or direct line.
Ask the police department to enter the missing person's information into the National Crime Information Center's (NCIC) database and obtain the NIC number, if possible (starts with "Mfollowed by nine numeric digits, M-123456789).
Provide as much information as possible on the person's behavior and whereabouts prior to the disappearance. It is very important to honest with the investigators.
Did the person take any personal belongings like money, wallet, or purse?
Check for a letter or note that may have been left.
Did the missing person say they would be traveling elsewhere or meeting anyone?
Notify the Center for Missing Adults at 1-800-690-FIND.
Notify your state clearinghouse, if they register missing adults (Center for Missing Adults can assist you with finding the phone number).
Notify other non-profit organizations that assist with missing adults.
Circulate missing person posters of the missing adult except in locations prohibited by city codes. Ask the managers or owners of convenient stores, malls, businesses, and other high traffic areas to post a flier of the missing person.
Contact hospitals, jails, and medical examiners in the area and give them a flier.
Ask for additional referrals or support group information to find out if what worked for other families may work for you.
Find out your state's laws on victim's rights because you may be entitled to certain privileges as the family member of a missing loved one.
Notify the law enforcement agency of any tips, leads, or if the missing person is located.
Notify the clearinghouses and non-profit organizations of any updates or if the missing person is located.
Checking in with the Investigator Periodically
Don't be afraid to ask questions but remember the investigator can't always release all the information because they don't want jeopardize the case and make it less likely to find your missing loved one.
Ask how you can help (posting law enforcement approved fliers, contacting other organizations, etc.).
Ask if the investigators need DNA, fingerprints, or dental records.
Verify that the missing person is still entered in NCIC.
Update the law enforcement agency and missing person organizations with your contact information (like mailing address, e-mail, and home, work, or cell phone numbers) if you move or have them changed.
Remember that it is important for you to work cooperatively with your investigator.
General Tips
E-mail is helpful to relay information to many people at once with updates.Don't be afraid to ask a trusted family member or friend to help relay the information to other organizations.
Never use your own contact information like phone numbers or address on a missing person poster because it could put you in a vulnerable position.
Keeping notes of your important conversations is helpful to refresh your memory.
If you would like to make your own poster, visit www.BeyondMissing.com.