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About My Loved One is Missing

My Loved One is Missing was founded in 2018 by Ashley Young, with assistance from Tara Wrysec, as a Facebook page dedicated to raising awareness for missing and unidentified persons cases. Over the years, it has grown into a resource for families and advocates, focusing on amplifying the voices of existing organizations that support underrepresented communities. Unclaimed persons cases were added to our investigative and advocacy efforts in December 2023.

We offer consulting services for missing persons non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies, create flyers & social media posts, and provide resources to assist families and friends of missing persons. Since 2022, we have conducted biannual reviews of cases in NamUs and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Database, working to identify closed cases that need to be removed so the focus remains on those who are still missing.

In addition to advocacy efforts, extensive research is conducted to provide statistics and critical data that highlight inconsistencies in missing persons records. This research is used to support the need for NamUs legislation in Colorado, ensuring better case tracking, increased transparency, and stronger investigative collaboration.

We also provide missing persons advocacy education, offering guidance on ethical advocacy practices, database utilization, and the importance of accurate reporting. By empowering families, volunteers, and other advocates with knowledge, we aim to improve awareness and enhance efforts to bring missing loved ones home.

At My Loved One is Missing, our mission is to bring attention to overlooked cases, advocate for transparency, and support those searching for answers.

Shout Out Colorado Interview

Ashley Young

Founder / Advocate / Genealogist

In 1990, my mother's friend, Nancy Begg-Shoupp, went missing. I still remember the ribbons wrapped around the trees in front of the townhomes where she once lived with her 2 children, after she had filed for a divorce from her abusive husband. Her case was re-classified as a homicide, but she has never been found. There has only been one suspect in her case. I have hoped to see justice for Nancy my whole life. With the realization that justice might not be possible, I started focusing on other local missing persons cases.

My passion for research began at 15, when I started tracing my own family roots with a Windows 98 PC, a family tree builder CD-ROM, dial-up internet, and countless trips to the library. Thankfully, advances in technology has made genealogy and historical research more accessible, and my dedication to uncovering the past has only grown stronger.

In 2016, I earned a certification in Criminal Forensics, followed by a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Administration in 2019. While pursuing my degree, I worked as a skip tracer, locating individuals for various companies. Over the years, I also helped family, friends, and acquaintances solve their own mysteries using genealogical research and Ancestry DNA testing.

My advocacy for missing and unidentified persons began in 2014, leading me to found My Loved One is Missing in 2018. In 2023, I expanded my efforts to include unclaimed persons cases, reaching out to the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner to offer my skip-tracing skills to help locate next of kin. By 2024, I began volunteering my skip tracing and consulting services to Search Light Colorado.

In 2025, I became a member of the Colorado Genealogical Society and launched Family Roots Uncovered, a genealogy service dedicated to helping others learn more about their family history. Whether searching for lost ancestors or missing loved ones, I am committed to bringing families back together, one discovery at a time.

I currently reside in Colorado with my husband, our three teenagers, our 2 dogs & 2 cats.

The first missing persons case that I actively participated in was a case involving a missing local trans boy in May 2018. He was found several days later at the hospital, and thankfully, has since recovered. The 2nd case I actively participated in with both active search & investigation efforts was a case in which a woman from out of state, Erin Vandewiele, had been missing for 3 months. She was eventually found safe as well.

The first "Jane Doe" that I advocated for was Rainbow Falls Jane Doe, found deceased in Colorado in 1993. For years, I searched missing persons cases for a possible match, submitting many comparisons to the potential match coordinator at Doe Network. I eventually found a Facebook page dedicated to identifying her that was created by Alyssa Hillman, and I later became the co-admin of her page due to my strong familiarity with her case. She was identified as Becky Redeker in 2020, but her murder remains unsolved. Her case was further complicated when isotope testing showed she had likely spent much of her life in Alaska or Canada, but it turned out her family lived near where her body was found at that time, and later moved away. Local police departments had received missing persons reports for her, but they never made it into electronic databases so no one knew to compare Becky's information to the body that was found. During this time, I also provided consulting services to an internationally-known psychic detective.

These experiences opened my eyes to the fact that many missing persons cases are solvable, but police departments often do not have resources to investigate these cases due to the high number of missing persons, and other regular police duties. It is often assumed that teens who run away will come back eventually, and it is assumed that adults may go missing voluntarily. In some cases that is true, but that doesn't make anything easier for their families when they are wondering where their loved one may be and if they are alive.

My Loved One Is Missing strives to be a valuable resource to family and friends of missing persons in the state of Colorado, as well as missing persons advocates. If you see any errors on this site, please contact us asap. Our missing persons database combines missing persons listed in NamUs, NCMEC, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Database, various local law enforcement agency's websites and from social media posts when requested by family members of a missing person. Our database is updated every 60 days and updated within 72 hours of receiving direct notification that a missing person has been located or if remans have been identified.

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