Resources
There is no single guidebook for when a loved one goes missing.
While every case is unique, the steps below have consistently helped
families navigate both the early days and the long term.
Call police immediately and file a missing persons report.
It is a MYTH you must wait 24 hours before reporting someone missing. Early communication helps preserve evidence and provide pertinent information to law enforcement.Build a timeline of last known whereabouts and activities.
Compile a list of contacts.
Check social media and phone records.
Talk to neighbors in the area.
Organize a Google chat stream to keep everyone updated and coordinated.
Contact local hospitals and shelters.
Use missing persons databases like NamUs and Illinois Missing Persons Database.
Notify non-profits that help with missing persons.
Create and post a one-page flyer on social media. Include two recent photos, name, hometown, state, height, weight, age, vehicle license plate number with photo of car, last known whereabouts, phone number of police station or lead investigator and case number.
Print and distribute fliers to businesses at locations around their last known whereabouts.
Rent highway and digital billboards.
Print and distribute yard signs and postcards.
Create a dedicated website and promote on social media.
Post information, pictures, and videos across social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit).
Run localized ads on social media sites like Facebook.
Advertise on digital and local radio stations (Pandora, Spotify, iHeart, SiriusXM, podcasts, radio).
Start a GoFundMe campaign to support search efforts. Search efforts are expensive!
Offer a monetary reward for anyone providing video evidence after the date missing person was last seen.
Contact your local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) affiliate or state organization, if applicable.
Alert local media.
Organize community searches.
Hold a vigil or walk to spread awareness.
Contact true crime/missing persons-focused podcasters (like Without Warning, Paiges of Crimes), digital influencers (like John Lordan on YouTube), authors, vloggers, bloggers, and others for exposure.
ASK FOR HELP.
You do not have to do this alone. Lean on family, friends, victims’ advocates, social workers, therapists, religious leaders, and anyone else you can trust. Support is key.
And NEVER GIVE UP.
More Resources
Organizations listed are independent resources. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Black & Missing
A non-profit providing equal opportunity for all missing.
Canada’s Missing
The National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is Canada's national centre that assists law enforcement, medical examiners and chief coroners with missing persons and unidentified remains investigations across the country.
This website features profiles of missing persons and unidentified remains published at the request of the primary investigator from either police, coroner or medical examiner agency. It is the determination of the lead investigator when or whether a case is published.
This website does not include a listing of profiles for all missing persons and unidentified remains in Canada.
Descriptions, images, and last known whereabouts of missing persons are included.
The Charley Project
The Charley Project profiles over 17,000 “cold case” missing people mainly from the United States. It does not actively investigate cases; it is merely a publicity vehicle for missing people who are often neglected by the press and forgotten all too soon. A person must have been missing for at least one year to be listed; see the FAQ for additional information on the site, its goals, and its founder/administrator.
Chicago Police Department: Missing Persons
Identify and report Chicago’s missing persons.
Child Find of America
Comprehensive list of active missing children in the United States.
Cook County Sheriff’s Office: Missing Persons Project
Focused on unresolved missing persons, primarily focused on women, cases requiring the public’s assistance.
The Doe Network: International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons
The Doe Network is a nonprofit 501(c)3 100% volunteer organization devoted to assisting investigating agencies in bringing closure to national and international cold cases concerning Missing & Unidentified Persons. Their mission is to give the nameless back their names and return the missing to their families.
The Department of Justice (DOJ)
Report and identify missing persons through the United States Department of Justice.
Find Me Group
Find Me® is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to assisting law enforcement and families locating missing loved ones, assisting in solving homicides and identifying victims of human trafficking.
Find Me® services are FREE of charge to all law enforcement agencies and families.
Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
Kidnappings and missing persons.
Find Missing Link
Missing Link was founded with the mission to provide support resources to families of the missing and exploited. We understand the uncertainty that families go through when a loved one goes missing, and we are dedicated to helping them find closure. Missing Link represents our commitment to bridging the gap between families and the answers they seek. We believe that every missing person has a story, and we are here to connect the dots and provide the support needed during such challenging times. With a professional and empathetic approach, Missing Link aims to be a trusted resource for professionals and families alike. Our comprehensive services include a support network that offers guidance and emotional support.
Missing Link is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization based in Moweaqua, IL, dedicated to providing rapid response, education, and support services to families of the missing and exploited. We rely on charitable donations to fund our mission of providing essential services to those in need.
Illinois Missing Persons Alerts
Facebook page dedicated to sharing verified missing persons cases from Illinois and across the United States to help bring missing people home.
Illinois Missing Persons
Since there is no official missing persons database for the state of Illinois, this site attempts to provide one. Search and list missing persons on the website; updates are typically 2-3 months behind the Illinois Missing Persons Facebook page.
International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC)
Working to protect children around the world from going missing by providing resources for governments, law enforcement, NGOs, and families on prevention as well as the appropriate actions to take in the event a child does go missing. Regional representation in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore provide a global reach. ICMEC Helplines & Hotlines
INTERPOL (The International Criminal Police Organization)
INTERPOL issues yellow notices when assistance is needed in locating missing persons, often minors, or to help identify those that cannot identify themselves.
The Missing Coalition
The Missing Coalition is a special project of the Cold Case Coalition, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and formed from the need to investigate cases that aren’t yet labelled “cold.” We provide guidance and resources when a loved one goes missing, helping spread awareness of your missing person and collecting information to provide whatever investigative and logistical support we’re able to.
Our network of investigators and professional volunteers, many of whom have experience with missing person cases, work diligently on your case without being paid a dime. Many of our vetted network of Private Investigators can provide their services in your case at no or low cost.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation. For families of missing children, first contact police to report your child missing, then call the 24-hour hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
National Park Service
Ongoing list of those missing from U.S. National Parks.
National Runaway Safeline
For 50 years, the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) has been providing crisis intervention services to young people and their families while also offering prevention, educational and training programs to the network of runaway and homeless youth (RHY) service providers nationwide. This work directly supports our mission of keeping runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the streets. 24-hour hotline: 1-800-786-2929.
The Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety
Comprised of first responders program who provide 24/7 direct services to protect life and property within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation.
Night Owl Reconnaissance
Night Owl Reconnaissance is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to using detection and investigation techniques to find missing persons and provide survivor services to those who have been missing and are now recovered. Our team of professionals consists of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about our mission.
The Polly Klaas© Foundation
A 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the safety of children, through public policy and recovering all missing children. Provides a comprehensive missing children database.
Their 24/7 HelpLine is 800-587-4357.
Private Investigations for the Missing
Private Investigations for the Missing is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. They provide families with qualified, expert investigators, at no cost, to work on their loved one's case and hopefully locate or bring some form of closure for them.
Solve the Case
Solve the Case is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to finding missing persons, solving cases of murder and other serial offenses. We use the power of the internet to bring the community together to look at cases in new and innovative ways with investigative professionals.
The Unlost: Bring Home the Missing
The Unlost is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that locates missing persons—especially endangered children and teens—and brings them home safely. We deploy and support a dedicated network of investigators, field agents, contractors, and developers who know the pain of being missed, being lost, and loving someone who’s disappeared. People like us take the risks others won’t. We walk the hard road. We stand between danger and the innocent. And when the call comes, we move—to bring home the missing.
U.S. Department of the Interior—Indian Affairs: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
Offers a comprehensive database of missing and murdered cases involving American Indian and Alaska Native people.
State Programs
Alabama: Law Enforcement Agency – alea.gov
Alaska: State Troopers – dps.alaska.gov
American Samoa: Official portal of the American Samoa Government – americansamoa.gov
Arizona: Department of Public Safety – azdps.gov
Arkansas: Attorney General’s Office – arkansasag.gov
California: Attorney General’s Office – oag.ca.gov
Cherokee Nation: Office of the Marshal – cherokee.org
Colorado: Bureau of Investigation – cbi.colorado.gov
Connecticut: Department of Emergency Services – portal.ct.gov
Delaware: State Police – dsp.delaware.gov
District of Columbia: Metro Police Dept – missing.dc.gov
Florida: Department of Law Enforcement – fdle.state.fl.us
Georgia: Bureau of Investigation – gbi.georgia.gov
Guam: Police Department – guam.gov
Hawaii: Attorney General’s Office – ag.hawaii.gov
Idaho: State Police – isp.idaho.gov
Illinois: Illinois Missing Persons
Indiana: State Police – in.gov
Iowa: Department of Public Safety – dps.iowa.gov
Kansas: Bureau of Investigation – kbi.ks.gov
Kentucky: State Police – kentuckystatepolice.org
Louisiana: State Police – lsp.org
Maine: State Police – maine.gov
Maryland: State Police – mdsp.maryland.gov
Massachusetts: State Police – mass.gov
Michigan: State Police – michigan.gov
Minnesota: Department of Public Safety – dps.mn.gov
Mississippi: MissingSippi – missingsippi.org
Missouri: State Highway Patrol – mshp.dps.mo.gov
Montana: Department of Justice – doj.mt.gov
Nebraska: State Patrol – statepatrol.nebraska.gov
Nevada: Attorney General’s Office – ag.nv.gov
New Hampshire: State Police – nhsp.dos.nh.gov
New Jersey: State Police – nj.gov
New Mexico: Department of Public Safety – dps.nm.gov
New York: Criminal Justice Services – criminaljustice.ny.gov
North Carolina: Center for Missing Persons – ncdps.gov
North Dakota: Attorney General’s Office –missingpersons.nd.gov
Ohio: Attorney General’s Office – ohioattorneygeneral.gov
Oklahoma: Bureau of Investigation – osbi.ok.gov
Oregon: State Police – oregon.gov
Pennsylvania: Emergency Response Center – pennerc.org
Puerto Rico: Police Department – policia.pr.gov
Rhode Island: State Police – ri.gov
South Carolina: Attorney General’s Office – scag.gov
South Dakota: Attorney General’s Office – missingpersons.sd.gov
Tennessee: Bureau of Investigation – tbi.tn.gov
Texas: Department of Public Safety – dps.texas.gov
U.S. Virgin Islands: Police Department – vipd.vi.gov
Utah: Department of Public Safety – bci.utah.gov
Vermont: State Police – vsp.vermont.gov
Virginia: State Police – vsp.virginia.gov
Washington: State Patrol – wsp.wa.gov
West Virginia: State Police – wvsp.gov
Wisconsin: Department of Justice – missingpersons.doj.wi.gov
Wyoming: Criminal Investigation – wyomingdci.wyo.gov