Missing persons are those who go absent. Whether it’s a child, teen or adult, the trauma for families is unimaginable.
But not all missing person cases are equal, and how a case is classified early can dramatically impact its outcome. Some cases capture media attention and inspire documentaries, Reddit threads and endless speculation. Contact Missing Persons Private Investigators for more information.
Child Abduction
Whether it’s a child who disappeared while playing in the woods, an unaccompanied teen who stopped answering phone calls or a woman who never came back from her hike, missing persons cases involving children often get the most attention. This is due to the fear of nonrelative stranger kidnapping, a phenomenon that has inspired campaigns for families to carry identification cards for their children, for children to learn safety lessons in school and for AMBER Alerts to be broadcast when children are abducted.
Most of the cases reported to NCMEC, however, involve family abductions rather than random stranger kidnappings. This is a more complicated type of case because it is usually a violation of the custody or visitation rights of the abducting parent. Abductors may be trying to collect ransoms, or they may have other reasons for keeping the child in their control, such as neglecting, molesting or harming the child.
Some studies have identified several risk factors for parental abductions. Johnston, for example, found that a significant number of abducting parents are undergoing contentious divorces and custody disputes. The children of these parents are particularly at risk of being abducted because the abductor fears that the other parent will molest or abuse the child. Other research has found that the majority of abductors use force in the abduction, and that most of them hold the children against their will (Girdner, 1994a).
The left-behind parents of abducted children are often very traumatically affected by the experience. They frequently lose faith in law enforcement authorities and in society at large, which can contribute to their own sense of helplessness. They also suffer emotionally from a feeling of detachment and rejection by the abducting parent, who may be attempting to persuade them that their child is better off with him or her than with them.
In addition, left-behind parents are frequently threatened or assaulted by their abductors. A survey of prosecutors by the American Prosecutors Research Institute found that this was the case in 27 percent of abduction cases. Some of the perpetrators even make false accusations against the left-behind parent, which can only add to the victim’s trauma.
Involuntary Disappearance
Unlike the sensational missing-person cases often depicted on TV, the overwhelming majority of disappearances involve individuals who voluntarily leave their homes for brief periods. In fact, the vast majority of people who go missing in any given year do so for reasons such as vacations, work or school. While this may not be as exciting to the media, these types of cases require a more careful and considered approach when solving.
There are several different types of missing person cases, and how a case is classified can influence how urgently it is handled. This is especially true when it comes to adults. In some countries, it can take days or even weeks for missing adult cases to be officially reported. Unfortunately, this can lead to cases going cold and vital evidence being lost.
Involuntary disappearance is a serious and widespread global issue that can occur in many contexts. It can be carried out by government officials as a way of repressing political opponents or by non-state actors, including armed groups. Victims of enforced disappearance are usually detained in secret and then never seen again. The absence of a missing person can be devastating to families. They not only lose a loved one, but they also live in fear and constant uncertainty.
Thankfully, there are international mechanisms in place to help these victims and their families. The International Convention on Enforced Disappearance is a landmark treaty that binds states to respect the rights of their citizens. However, many governments still struggle to implement the Convention in their practice.
In addition to the Convention, there are other important international agreements that bind states to protect their citizens from disappearances and to investigate those who commit these violations. The most important is the UN Convention on the Rights of All People. It contains specific provisions for the protection of human rights in situations of disappearance and calls on states to create national strategies for preventing disappearances. They should also include clear procedures for the protection of the relatives and friends of disappeared persons. In addition, they should ensure that the information gathered in these situations is shared among law enforcement agencies across borders.
Suicide
Some missing person cases capture national — and even international — attention. They become the subjects of documentaries, Reddit threads, and endless speculation. They’re also a reminder of how easily a tragedy can turn into a media frenzy.
Unfortunately, the majority of missing persons cases do not get the same treatment. These include cases of missing individuals who have never been reported, whose disappearances are under-investigated, misclassified or not prioritized by law enforcement due to bias or lack of resources.
For example, a runaway teenager may go into the wilderness without telling anyone where he is going. The parents might file a missing person case with the police, and an NCIC report will be made, but because the case is not criminal in nature, and there is no indication that the child is in danger, the case will be given low priority. This is why it is so important that all families of missing people understand and respect the complexity of their cases, and know that every little bit of information counts.
Many factors contribute to a person’s decision to take his or her own life. Often, the person has experienced some form of emotional trauma or mental health illness that contributed to his or her feelings of hopelessness and a negative outlook on the future. These factors can be difficult to manage and treat, so it’s important that they are taken into account when evaluating whether or not someone is at risk of suicide.
In the United States, suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death overall. In 2023, the suicide rate was highest for American Indian/Alaskan Native, Non-Hispanic males (35.3 per 100,000) and white, Non-Hispanic females (14.4 per 100,000). Rates are also higher among those experiencing discrimination such as refugees and migrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTI) people; prisoners; and those who have been exposed to conflict or disaster.
Catastrophe
Catastrophe is an emotionally charged word that originated from the Greek katastrophein, meaning “to overturn.” Although it originally meant the end of a dramatic work, usually a tragedy, catastrophe has come to mean more than just a calamity. A hurricane destroying hundreds of homes is certainly a catastrophe, but so is a fistfight at a wedding reception or baking a cake without following the recipe.
This category is typically reserved for extreme natural or man-made disasters that are out of the ordinary and require a massive response from the affected community. These kinds of events can cause catastrophic financial loss to businesses and individuals. Insurance companies use the term to describe large loss events that exceed a predetermined amount of money set by the insurers.
In creative writing, the catastrophe is often a pivotal point that turns the narrative on its head and propels the plot forward in a meaningful way. For example, the automobile accident that kills Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby serves as a catalyst for Nick Carraway’s questioning of the moral emptiness of the wealthy elite. In the case of missing persons, the catastrophe can be the disappearance itself or an event that causes the disappearance.
