What to Do When a Loved One Goes Missing in a War Zone

What to Do When a Loved One Goes Missing in a War Zone

A majority of Americans have enjoyed the life-long comforts of total border security and homeland security that protect them from the threats of the outside world. Of course, most people remember where they were on 9/11 when the nation experienced a foreign terrorist attack on American soil for the first time in 60 years. However, the devastation that war conflict can bring to a nation has hundreds of unseen ripple effects. One of those is the searches for individuals who have gone missing in war conflict or during occupation by a foreign entity. When a loved one goes missing in a war zone, their family should always consider the expertise of an international missing person investigator to ensure that no important leads are missed in the search.

It may be difficult for Americans to wrap their heads around the numbers of missing person cases that can be yielded as the result of military conflict. When a loved one goes missing in a war zone, the odds of their family getting answers through typical channels are very low. The International Commission of Missing Persons (ICMP) reports that over 20,000 people remain missing in Sri Lanka following the conclusion of their civil war. Likewise, in Columbia, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) calculates the number of missing persons at 80,000 in Columbia following decades of civil war. Regardless of the conflict or the location, you can expect to find cases of tens of thousands of missing persons that have been entered into international databases.

Americans do face confusion in missing person cases following some form of natural disaster, such as the collapse of the apartment building in Florida that left dozens unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the incident. It took weeks for rescue crews to sift through the wreckage and identify remains of those missing following the collapse, and provide families with answers in the matter of their loved one’s fate. However, this tragic event was just that—a singular event. Imagine the impact of multiple buildings collapsing, all within days of each other, and how the problem can further be exacerbated for families who cannot account for their loved one’s recent whereabouts. These situations are only further compounded when a loved one goes missing in a war zone. In areas where residents are experiencing a high volume of military/war action, it can be impossible to find clues to their disappearance. A perfect example of a pervasive pattern of war conflict is the state of Palestine, where the region has experienced hundreds of incidents of violence perpetrated in the name of sovereignty over the state. Regardless of what side of the conflict you stand on, you’ll find families on both sides who have lost loved ones in the chaos of the occupation, and still need closure in those disappearances.

Families often seek the expertise of at least one independent missing person investigator when their loved one goes missing in war. These investigators are typically private investigators who have international license to practice. These private investigators have specialties in international investigations and have diverse methodology in approaching these cases. Private investigators are most famous for their skip-tracing services, which is an industry term for locating a person based on their footprint in the public record. The same methodology these private investigators apply to skip tracing can also be applied to the location of people missing in war zones. Private investigators also possess the boots-on-the-ground mentality and the autonomy from any state or national organization that might hinder them from following leads in a case. When a lead goes outside the country where the person is reported missing, there are no bureaucratic issues preventing a private investigator from following that lead.

If you have a loved one who has gone missing in a war zone, please reach out to Lauth Investigations International for a free consultation on how our investigators can help your family get closure. We have a glowing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and regularly receive 5-star reviews from grateful families. Call at 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthmissinstg.wpengine.com