Saturday, October 22, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tips on How to Report a Loved One Who Has Gone Missing
When a loved one goes missing, the psychological effects can be devastating. You may feel scared, anxious and unsure of how to proceed. Who should you contact? When should you involve the authorities? If you have found yourself in this position, it is important to take a step back and breathe. Although it is very easy to panic when a loved one goes missing, it is essential that you remain calm so that you can focus on what matters at the moment; finding your loved one. It doesn't matter if you have a background in psychology . Everyone must understand both the psychological effects of losing a loved one and what to do in case this does occur.
Before you take any action, you need to stop and think about your loved one and their habits. When was the last time you saw them? Do they usually follow a routine or are they the type that plays it by ear? Do they have a cellphone or other mobile device that you could try to contact them with? If your loved one usually follows a routine, they are not where they would usually be, and they have a mobile device, you need to exhaust all options to contact them before doing anything else. You can try to call them, e-mail them, text message them or you could stop by their home. You may also want to contact their friends or family members to inquire as to whether they have seen your loved one, and if so, when was the last time. You could also try calling your loved one's place of employment or school, or any other places where they would usually be.
If, after trying to contact your loved one and contacting friends, family, and coworkers, you still can not find your loved one, you should contact the authorities. Your first resource should be your local police department or sheriff's office. Most people have the false notion that they must wait until their loved one is missing for 24 hours before reporting them missing, which is simply untrue. You may report anyone missing if you feel that there is reason to believe that something has happened to them; there is no waiting period. When you contact law enforcement, you will either be asked to come down to the station to fill out a report or an officer will come to you to fill out a report.
When filling out a missing person's report, you will most likely be asked to give personal information about your loved one, such as name, address, phone number, and place of employment or school. You will also be asked to give a physical description of the person, including approximate height and weight, eye and hair color, as well as any descriptive marks, such as scars or tattoos. You might also want to have some recent pictures on hand, as the more recent the picture, the better. As well, you will probably need to include information about the person's typical schedule, names of friends and family members with whom they typically associate, and places where your loved one frequently goes to. All of this information will help investigators to find your loved one more quickly, so never worry about giving too many details. When it comes to finding missing persons, the more information you give, the easier it will be to find someone.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that most missing persons are found. While it may be easy to let your imagination run wild, you need to consider the possibility that your loved one just went out for a bit and left their phone at home or that they needed some peace and quiet for a little while by themselves. All too often, it can be easy to let our fear and anxiety take over, but you must remain calm in order to help the authorities find your loved one. Police officers and sheriff's deputies are trained professionals, so try to let them do their job without calling for status updates often; the authorities will contact you when they have found your loved one. In the meantime, you can try to keep yourself busy, reach out to friends and family, and remember that most missing persons are found within the first 24 to 48 hours of being reported missing.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 08, 2011
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Missing Americans Project
The Missing Americans Project
Build awareness of the problems of Americans missing in foreign countries;
* Increase the accountability and transparency of U.S. State Department processes where missing Americans are concerned.
* Lobby for legal and policy changes where necessary.
* Develop a global rapid-response network that is not subject to the same bureaucratic wrangling as the U.S. State Department is.
* Advocate for the interests of the families of missing Americans
Build awareness of the problems of Americans missing in foreign countries;
* Increase the accountability and transparency of U.S. State Department processes where missing Americans are concerned.
* Lobby for legal and policy changes where necessary.
* Develop a global rapid-response network that is not subject to the same bureaucratic wrangling as the U.S. State Department is.
* Advocate for the interests of the families of missing Americans
Friday, February 11, 2011
Monday, February 07, 2011
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A Cry for Help
