FAQ: Missing Child

How many missing children are found deceased?
According to a study by the State of Washington’s Office of the Attorney General, cases of abducted and missing children found murdered are still quite rare. Research has shown that between 40 and 150 incidents of child abduction murder occur each year, which is less than one half of one percent of the murders committed nationally.

What hours are most critical when trying to locate a missing child?
Statistics show that the first three hours are the most crucial. 76.2 percent of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction.

How can I prepare myself in case my child becomes missing?
1) Keep a complete description of your child on hand.
2) Take color photographs of your child every six months.
3) Have your dentist prepare and maintain dental charts for your child, and be sure they are updated each time an examination or dental work is performed.
4) Know where your child's medical records are located.
5) Arrange with your local law-enforcement agency to have your child fingerprinted and keep the fingerprints in a safe and easily accessible place.
6) Keep a DNA sample from your child, like an old toothbrush in a brown envelope licked closed by your child, at room temperature in a dry, easily accessible place that is far away from heat.

What should I do if my child is missing?
1) Act immediately.
2) Search your home and check with relatives, neighbors, and friends to try and locate your child.
3) If you cannot find your child, immediately report your child missing to your local law-enforcement officers.
4) Limit access to your home until law-enforcement officers arrive and are able to collect evidence.
5) Give law-enforcement officers all the information they request about your child, and be sure to give them any information that could help in the search.

Aren't most missing kids a result of custodial disagreements?
The largest number of missing children are, from most frequent to least frequent:
1. Runaways
2. Family abductions
3. Lost, injured or otherwise missing children
4. Nonfamily abductions (in these cases, the child is at greatest risk of injury or death).