Sample Letter to Representatives

What can you do to help? Contact your representatives! If you don't know who they are, you can find them here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Here is a sample letter you can copy and past in an e-mail to your local representative, or create your own! 

Dear [Insert your representative’s name here],

[Optional: Introduce yourself]

I am writing to bring attention to critical issues regarding missing persons, unclaimed persons, and unidentified persons cases in our state. Colorado would greatly benefit from legislation requiring all agencies to utilize the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

Missing Persons cases are generally uploaded to the Colorado Crime Information Center database (CCIC), which is not publicly accessible. We've recently learned that several missing persons cases have been removed from this database prior to being located. This could be due to case inactivity, or cases being re-classified as homicides. There are also several cases in CCIC that have been resolved, but have remain in the database listed as open. It is not possible to know how many missing persons cases have been removed without resolution or how many resolved cases remain in the database because CCIC/NCIC is not publicly available. Since NamUs is publicly available, NamUs legislation would increase transparency.

While many Colorado agencies already use NamUs as a best practice, others do not, leading to discrepancies and inefficiencies. NamUs provides a reliable, publicly accessible platform for tracking cases, yet inconsistencies persist due to the absence of legal requirements mandating its use. If a missing person's case is not uploaded to the NamUs database or shared on social media by law enforcement, their case may not be seen by the public for up to 3 years before the Colorado Bureau of Investigation uploads the case to their Cold Case Database. 

Other states, including California, New York, Tennessee, and North Carolina, have already enacted laws requiring agencies to report missing persons cases to NamUs within a set timeframe. Colorado should follow suit to ensure transparency, consistency, and accuracy in handling these cases.

Current issues include:

1. Inconsistent Database Updates: Cases often remain active in databases long after resolution. Closed cases should be updated or removed from all systems within 30–90 days. Many cases of people missing over 30 days are not uploaded to NamUs at all.  As of 8/22/24, the Colorado Cold Case Database lists 223 cases that are still not in the NamUs database.

2. Lack of Photos: Over 70 cases in NamUs and over 200 cases in the CBI cold case database lack photographs, making public awareness and resolution efforts more difficult. The CBI is actively working to obtain more photos for their database, but many photos are still missing, often because the case is actually closed and is mislabeled as open. 

3. Missed Opportunities for Volunteer Advocates: Inaccurate or outdated data hampers the efforts of advocates working to locate missing persons.

Additionally, unclaimed persons' cases are not being consistently entered into NamUs, despite its proven utility for finding next of kin. For example, a case from 2020 was resolved only after a social media post in 2024 reached the decedent’s family in Mexico. If NamUs had been utilized earlier, this resolution could have been achieved much sooner.

I urge you to consider legislation that:

• Mandates all law enforcement agencies and coroners’ offices to upload missing, unidentified and unclaimed persons cases to NamUs within 30 days.

• Requires regular database audits to ensure cases are resolved and updated promptly.

• Promotes transparency and accountability in handling missing, unidentified and unclaimed persons cases.

Improved use of NamUs would honor the dignity of those who are missing, unidentified and unclaimed. It would also provide relief to their families, and strengthen public trust in our systems. Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City, Colorado]