National Missing Persons Day: How to report a missing person and ways to help
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National Missing Persons Day is Feb. 3 in the United States. There are over 600,000 people who go missing each year in the U.S, according to the Doe Network. And of those 600,000, tens of thousands are unidentified, according to National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).
There are several non-profits that are fighting to bring home missing people as well as identify the remains of people to help bring families who are still searching for loved ones some closure.
In honor of National Missing Person Day, here are some ways you can help bring these missing people home.
Report a missing person
Apart from reporting a missing person to your local police department, there is also a national database where you can enter the information which can be shared across the country.
NamUs has an extensive website that allows you to enter the missing person's case information as well as any personal information to help narrow down the chances of bringing them back home.
And even if you are unable to provide case information, there is also an option to input unidentified missing person data.
NamUs’ website also keeps track of unclaimed people’s information.
For a guide on how to input a missing person’s case, click here.
Report a missing child
When a child goes missing, protocols such as Amber Alerts are sent out as an early warning system to help find abducted children.
Unfortunately, if those children are not found, next steps can be taken to broaden the search area and get more eyes on a case.
Any missing children, after being reported to local law enforcement, can be reported the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
The NCMEC has resources that help identify remains, keep track of sexual offenders and even has a subsidiary called Team Adam that sends extra help to local entities when a child goes missing.
NCMEC is not a non-profit and operates under the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
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Donate and volunteer
Non-profits such as the DNA Doe Project and The Charly Project take donations that go towards resources.
The Doe Network also takes volunteers based on region to help allocate the massive amount of people missing in the U.S.
While NCMEC is funded by the DOJ, it still takes donations as well.
The NCMEC also welcomes volunteers to help host safety events and put together fundraisers.