When someone goes missing, it can be terrifying. It is especially troubling when law enforcement is unable to provide any information about the disappearance.
Police are generally limited by their resources, and will stop looking 사람찾기흥신소 after a certain amount of time, declaring the case as “cold.” However, qualified private investigators can use various tactics that police do not.
Reporting a Missing Person
When someone goes missing, it is vital that family members contact the police immediately. Most cases are solved within a few days or weeks, but some can take much longer. If the person is young or elderly, or has health concerns, the police may need to consider a more comprehensive investigation.
If the person is in danger, a missing persons alert may need to be issued. This is typically done through the media. The charity Missing People can also help with support for families and coordinate national or local, targeted publicity on behalf of the police.
It is important to have a clear description of the person who is missing, including tattoos and birthmarks. The report should also include the name, date of birth, address and phone number. The police will then be able to update a national missing persons database and search other agencies’ databases as well. It is also helpful to have a recent photo of the missing person, as this can help in finding them.
Identifying a Missing Person
Ideally, any information that can be gathered about the missing person should be collected and archived (in an electronic format) as a Missing persons case file. This should include: -biological and social background; -photographs of the missing person; -contact details of friends and family members; -name, address and other relevant identification documentation including passport and identity cards, employment security access card and any death certificate, nicknames or political aliases, recreational and/or sports activities, genealogy descriptions and medical and dental records.
It is important to ensure that families and/or relatives are adequately involved in the search process, are regularly informed about developments and are given their right to take active part in decisions regarding their loved ones. Furthermore, the tendency to understand the search as a body centred forensic response needs to be corrected and broadened. This requires a thorough understanding of the entire search process, from the initial reporting of missing persons to the identification of victims in cases of death.
Bringing the Right Information to the Police
Missing persons investigations can be among the most complex assignments confronted by a police officer. They often involve sensitive and emotional issues as well as difficult legal questions.
It is important that police receive accurate and comprehensive information as soon as possible in a missing person case. This will help ensure a thorough investigation and the safety of the individual being sought.
This includes a clear physical description, clothing details and other items that could assist in the search. It will also be helpful to have any known associates’ contact information and a recent photograph.
Police should also be notified of any information on the missing person that may be available in the eJusticeNY Integrated Justice Portal/Division of Criminal Justice Services-NCIC database, called LOCATER. This Web-based poster-creation program allows law enforcement agencies to share information on missing children, missing adults and AMBER Alert cases with other police departments, forensics professionals and the public. The LOCATER system can be used to cross-reference all missing person cases and unidentified remains in New York State.
Using the Resources Available
Forensic professionals and police investigators must be able to share, exchange and compare information on missing persons in a systematic manner. In this context, the creation of centralized databases is essential in order to make it possible to analyse all information collected and recorded. It is also important that families/relatives of missing persons are adequately involved in the Search and are regularly informed about developments and decisions made.
In many contexts, there is a tendency to focus efforts on collecting any kind of information, while ignoring other steps that are essential to the identification process. This includes mapping sites potentially containing human remains, which must be carried out as soon as possible after the event.
NamUs is one resource that provides law enforcement with the tools and technology needed to resolve long-term missing person cases. NAI has worked with many clients to help reconnect them with loved ones that went missing upwards of fifty years ago.