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The most
common response from a friend or family member of a missing
person is to contact their local police department, and then
the media. In some cases, the missing child or adult is
found within 1-3 days. Unfortunately, for those that have
already passed the 72-hour waiting period, the situation
becomes more bleak and troublesome for the immediate family
of the missing person. Often a missing person’s case may
remain open for an extended period of time lasting from
several months to many years if police have ran out of leads
or are investigating instances of foul play. Due to this
fact, many families that hire a private investigator that
only specializes in missing persons cases usually has a turn
around of about 86-90% and most individuals are located
within a 30-day period. However, these types of “expert
investigators” are few. (1)
Of all
the reasons people are reported missing, most is known about
missing children or missing young people. For example
according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children:
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Of all runaways are
under age 11. In addition, 1 in 14 children run away
before the age of 8.
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Girls 13-17 are twice
as likely to run away then boys of the same age
-
Missing runaways have
a 44% chance of being hurt or injured while they are on
the run and 67% of being sexually assaulted or hurt,
sometimes even murdered by a stranger they just met or
are staying with.
-
In the majority of
cases, the main reason that a child or young adults runs
away is because of a conflict with authority, parental
rules, or a fear of discipline for a bad decision they
made. Very few children that run away are victims of
abuse, since most are afraid of their abusers.
-
79% of abducted
children are abducted by someone they know such as an
estranged parent who kidnaps the child. It is very rare
for a child to be abducted and murdered by a stranger.
-
Of course, children
that are abducted by strangers are mostly kidnapped by
registered or non-registered sex offenders. (2)
Less is
known about the reasons that an adult is reported missing.
According to the National Center for Missing Adults:
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Adult males in their
late 20’s are more likely to disappear than women in the
same age category.
-
Young women who
disappear are more likely to be victims of sexual
assault, rape, spousal abuse, date rape, or murder than
that of young men in the same category. Most of these
women know their attackers.
-
Adults aged 60 or
older mostly disappear due to an illness or a mental
illness that seems to affect their thinking.
-
Many adults disappear
in order to escape adverse consequences for bad
decisions that were made in life such as financial
distress, personal problems, and in severe cases spousal
abuse.
-
Other disappearances
are unintentional and are caused by confusion over time
and date for appointments, activities, events and
locations among parties.(2)
So what
does all of this mean? It means that while not all cases of
missing persons can be avoided, it is important to recognize
the behaviors of those around us, to recognize the warning
signs and to act appropriately when necessary. Never feel
guilty about calling a private investigator; your loved
one’s life may depend on it.
SOURCES
USED IN THIS ARTICLE:
1)
“Someone is Missing: An Emotional Resource for the Families
and Friends of Missing Persons.” Author, unknown.
Accessed on 1/29/07
www.missingpersons.org/au/notalone.htm
2)
“National Missing Persons Helpline” Author: Underwired UK.
Accessed on 1/29/07
www.missingpersons.org/factfile.asp |
