How to Find a Missing Person?

So you have a loved one who has gone missing – what do you do? The first thing to do is not panic. Missing persons cases are often resolved, and your loved one may just be away from home or out of contact for some reason. However, if you have reason to believe something more serious has happened, you can take steps.

What is a Missing Person?

A missing person has gone missing for various reasons (e.g., abduction, detention by persons or persons acting under the authority of law, extreme emotional distress).

A missing person may be waiting to be found; lost without intent; attempting to evade police apprehension; awaiting transport at one location for another; intending to avoid contact with the subject's family members because the person thinks they are opposed to their lifestyle or intentions (sometimes called parental child abduction); trying not to get in trouble with the law. The international authorities could also want a missing person for prosecution, extradition, or deportation who may believe they will likely not return voluntarily pending an ongoing court case or investigation. If so, they would typically use Interpol alerts.

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Disappearing Intentionally

Oftentimes, when people disappear, they are trying to protect themselves. This can be either from addiction or mental health issues. The following steps should help you find your loved one:

1. Contact their friends and co-workers for any information.

2. Search the area where they may be hiding.

3. Search online for any clues of where they may be located (pictures, social media posts, etc.).

4. Make a missing person flyer with their information and have it distributed in the area where they were last seen.

5. Report them as missing persons on the National Crime Information Center so that no one else will take them in or file a joint petition on their behalf with child welfare services.

6. If you are not successful on your own, contact a missing person investigation agency.

7. Contact law enforcement for help with your search if the individual has been gone for over 24 hours and/or they have a history of violence (especially towards you and/or their children).

How to Get Started with a Missing Persons Investigation

The first step in most missing persons investigations is to find out how long the person has been gone. It is important to find this information as soon as possible. This will determine what type of investigation needs to be conducted, who to contact, and where you need to do your search.

If you know the person has disappeared intentionally, you can still take some steps to find them. You will want to start by contacting their friends and co-workers for any information on their whereabouts. You should also search the area where they may be hiding. This could be a friend's house or another area where they are known to frequent.

Another way to find a missing person is through social media. Many people will post clues about their whereabouts on various platforms. You can also search for any pictures of the individual that have been taken in the last few days or weeks.

If you are not successful on your own, you can contact a missing person investigation agency. There are many of these agencies throughout the country. You can also contact law enforcement for help with your search if the individual has been gone for over 24 hours and/or they have a history of violence (especially towards you and/or their children).

It is important to never give up on finding your loved one. Many people are missing, and they need to be found. With the right tools and resources, you can make this happen.

How a Private Investigator can help with a Missing Person Investigation

If you have a missing person case, a private investigator can help. They have the skills and resources to find people who have gone missing. They will work with the police to find your loved one.

A missing person case can be complex, and you might not know where to start when looking for someone. It's important to act quickly in order to find the missing person before it's too late. After considering all of your information about the missing person, their background, habits, friends, family, and more, a private investigator will put together an investigation plan.

Begin by looking for clues about where your loved one was last seen, such as surveillance video footage from the area of their disappearance, eyewitness accounts, or information that they were with someone else before disappearing. You can also contact local hospitals to file a missing person report. Contact the police if you have additional information about when they went missing.