FAQs

1. Clear Photos: Avoid using photos that have filters. 

2. First and last name.

3. Last known location: City & State; cross streets if possible. Avoid using specific addresses unless it is the address of a business. 

4. Date last seen or heard from.

5. Description of the missing person: Age, what the person looks like, any tattoos, scars, marks, etc.

6. Police Department Contact Information and Case Number. If a missing persons report was not filed or accepted by law enforcement, you should include the reason why. 

It is always a good idea to create a Facebook group or page to help raise awareness for your missing loved one's case! If possible, ask a missing persons advocate to start and moderate the Facebook group on your behalf. For the majority of people, it can be very emotionally and mentally draining to handle a Facebook group for your missing loved one on your own. This is why starting a Facebook page for your missing loved one instead of a group can be more manageable. 

The tricky thing is moderating a Facebook group for a missing person. Many people will join as armchair detectives/internet sleuths to get as many details as possible. Please check with the law enforcement agency that is investigating the case which information is appropriate to release publicly. Often times, police will release important details to family members and request that this information not be shared publicly because it can negatively affect their investigation. 

Many well intentioned people will report that they might have seen your missing loved one but are not sure. It is always best to have them forward the tip to police for it to be verified. 

 You will also likely get scammers who send fake & disturbing leads. Please remember that you do not have to answer any questions asked by the public. You can always not respond, or tell them to wait for law enforcement to release details, no matter how many people ask! Always feel free to remove people from the group that are not following rules. 

Most likely, you will get offers from several different groups/nonprofits offering to make a flyer for your loved one. Make sure that flyers are actually beneficial and appropriate for your loved one's case as opposed to accepting flyers made by groups/nonprofits that make flyers primarily to get their own name/brand out there for their own monetization purposes. Please research any advocate/nonprofit that offers assistance! The goal should always be finding the missing person and raising awareness of their case, not helping missing persons groups monetize or gain more followers. 

Please email me if you need assistance with creating or moderating a Facebook group or page for your missing loved one, or if you need assistance with researching an advocate or nonprofit that has offered to assist in your missing loved one's case. Unfortunately, there are several out there that have histories of unethical behavior & have done more harm than good in some missing persons cases. 

When family or friends of a missing person contacts us, we assist with creating flyers and social media posts to help raise awareness. We provide referrals for further in-person assistance, provide guidance for dealing with police, the public & the media, as well as provide emotional support. We focus on helping circulate official flyers and flyers created by local groups that are actively assisting in each case. We respect and honor the work of BIPOC advocates by sharing their posts and flyers instead of sharing flyers that have been unnecessarily rebranded. 

On Facebook and Instagram, we boost missing persons flyers as "advertisements" to put them on the screens of social media users located in the same area where your missing loved one was last seen. We can assist with reaching out to hospitals, shelters and local businesses. We are always willing to share any missing persons case! We do not discriminate for any reason, and fully believe that every missing human being deserves to be found. 

We also assist with locating next of kin for unclaimed persons cases and assist people with finding estranged relatives and old friends. 

ABSOLUTELY. We understand that many people have legitimate reasons to fear police or not trust them. We are happy to offer the same services with or without police involvement. However, if the case gets to a point where a serious crime may have occurred (murder, kidnapping, etc.), we do have to get the police involved. The main setback we encounter when police are not involved is that most major news stations will not air missing persons cases unless police have verified the case and given them permission.

Cases in which police are not involved will be thoroughly vetted before the case is accepted. This is to protect the privacy and safety of missing persons who chose to go missing for a variety of reasons, including abuse. 

In my experiences with shelters, many have been able to tell me over the phone whether or not they have seen someone matching the description of the missing person we are looking for, or they allow me to leave a message in case the person I am looking for were to come in to their facility. 

Some have allowed me to come in-person and place a photo and message, or flyer, on their message boards. 

It's important to remember that many unhoused people do not feel safe sleeping in shelters, and will choose encampments or choose to sleep on the streets. If you are searching these areas, it is important to keep yourself safe! Dress in older clothes that you don't mind getting dirty, don't bring anything valuable and try to blend in. It is good to bring small bags of essentials or snacks to provide to unhoused people you come across during your search.  It can take time, but it is very possible to locate an unhoused person. Private investigator, Lindsey Paison, has a proven track record for locating unhoused missing persons and we often refer families to her. 

This is the unfortunate reality for thousands of cases! The best thing to do is to keep the case alive on social media and don't give up! We can assist with creating groups and pages for your missing loved one. If your loved one is not listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), we can assist with that as well. However, the law enforcement agency investigating the case must approve the NamUs page before it is publicly available. 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a valuable resource in many cases. However, if local police or the child's family is not posting about their case on social media, we do not post about the case either. 

There have been several cases listed on NCMEC's website in which family members & local police knew the child's location and did not want their information circulating online, but well-meaning missing persons groups/advocates created their own flyers on social media anyway. Best practice would be for all missing persons groups/advocates to reach out to the local police departments to confirm whether or not it would be appropriate to create a flyer for the child listed on NCMEC's website. 

This can happen during pending custody cases and for cases in which police are investigating allegations of abuse. In some cases, the police departments must legally accept a missing persons report from the current legal guardian and put the case into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, even when they know the child's location. We have even seen cases in which the judge told a teen they did not have to return to their legal guardian while their court case was pending, but police still legally had to accept a missing persons report from the teen's guardian.

Many people are not aware that these, and similar, sites usually contain outdated &/or incorrect information, even the ones that charge fees! For families with a missing loved one, seeing these screenshots that people with good intentions often post under missing persons fliers can bring false hope & add to frustration and heartbreak.  If you want to help, share posts & fliers to help families raise awareness, participate in organized searches & keep your eyes open! Please DO NOT share screenshots from these (or similar) sites under posts or fliers of missing persons.

Sites such as Vinelink can be useful for finding inmate information, but not all facilities participate.