Over the past few years, we have discussed and educated the public on the appropriate steps to follow when you suspect a loved one has gone missing. For first time readers, our past blogs have defined the term “missing” or “missing person” as a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. Missing can also be classified as a runaway. The term “runaway”, used with respect to a youth, means an individual who is less than 18 years of age and who absents himself or herself from home or a place of legal residence without the permission of a parent or legal guardian. These are often how law enforcement agencies across the country determine how to classify these investigations.
While some reported missing person cases are the result of a heat of the moment argument, with short-term conflict periods and quick resolution, all should be treated seriously since the missing/or runaway individual remains very vulnerable while exposed and unprotected. A missing individual with a history of mental illness or the onset of dementia is typically unaware they are missing, and the risks associated with their inability to articulate clearly makes the timeliness of locating them very critical.
Too often what starts out as a case of “youth runaway” results in a heartbreaking case of human trafficking. This often involves the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion forcing the runaway into some type of forced labor or commercial sex enterprise. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide. It can happen in any community and victims can be of any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers use methods like violence, manipulation, false promises of well-paying jobs and romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations.
Additionally, the FBI sees trends of children under the age of six who are frequently targeted by family members, during hostile divorce/child custody battles, and the more harrowing situation of child abductions committed by family acquaintances and neighbors. These predators typically are known by the missing individual and are usually young teenage girls who are targeted for sexual exploitation. Lastly, over the past few decades there have been an unprecedented escalation of secular and religious cults preying on vulnerable individuals using drugs and brainwashing techniques for financial gain, conversion, and group sex.
The purpose of this blog is to educate family members and friends of what to do and when to notify the police when you suspect a loved one, colleague or friend has gone missing. These are time of the essence decisions, where time is both friend and foe.
Our lives and daily activities are usually based upon routines or habits. Even conversations take on a routine common tone, during familiar hours and days of the week. The first indication that something is not right, or worth probing is based on changes observed in an individuals’ daily routine, habits, and conversation. These are often the red flag warnings when you need to seek out public or private professionals for help and will also help the police determine how to investigate a reported missing person.
When to Contact Law Enforcement
As mentioned, time is of the essence and the moment you suspect that something is amiss, or you lost communication with a loved one, you should immediately contact your local law enforcement agency. Wellness checks by law enforcement officers are very common, particularly when individuals reside alone, are elderly, have a physical disability or there have been previous reports of domestic violence. Law enforcement agencies should be your first resource for reporting a person missing. There is a common misconception by the public that you need to wait 24-hours before you report someone missing and file a missing persons case. There are no time related rules, however a commonsense approach to locating your loved one should be applied before activating the police. It is not unreasonable to thoroughly search the individual residence, under beds, closets, and other small spaces where someone could hide, as well as a basic telephone canvass of family, friends, and associates.
According to a New York City Police Department service bulletin titled NYPD: How the Police Handles Missing Persons Cases, Joseph Giacalone, a former Sergeant with the NYPD, and adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College states that, “the number one biggest problem is that family members wait too long to report a missing persons case. Valuable time is often lost during those first 24-hours,” hence where perhaps the notion of a “24-hour rule” originated from. The NYPD website says that no set amount of time must pass before you report a missing person case, but to use common sense and understand the circumstances involved. Once a missing person case has been opened by law enforcement, the police can review surveillance footage from security cameras, review phone and bank transactions and conduct wellness checks. Time is critical for law enforcement to pursue these investigative avenues and sources since surveillance tapes could be deleted and bank accounts could be closed, making it more challenging for the police and/or FBI to do their jobs.
Myths & Mistakes
Another myth regarding missing persons cases is how they are treated by police. The general public feel that police officers often lack empathy and compassion especially when the missing may have a runaway history associated with addiction and prostitution. Many family members, whom themselves may have an addiction issue, or issues with the police, will delay or decide not to report a missing family member out of fear that they will be treated with disrespect, or not believed. A recent New York Times bestseller called “On the Savage Side” by Tiffany McDaniel, details a fictional account of six women from a rural town in Ohio who were heroin addicts and sex trade workers who went missing; four of their bodies were located, but two were never found. The author discusses in a fictional account of how family members were afraid to report their missing daughters and how the local police department refused to take the cases seriously because they were known addicts and sex workers.
Fortunately, in most instances, this is not the case. Most modern-day police departments are trained and very much aware that sex trafficking is a serious and often deadly crime, and what to look for. Once a sex worker has been abducted and reported the chances of being exploited by human traffickers increases exponentially with every delay.
When to Contact a Private Investigator
Hiring a licensed private investigator should never be in lieu of filing a police report and first reporting a loved one missing to the police. A private investigator can work in conjunction with law enforcement using alternative methods to track social activity both within the search area and outside. At Integrated Security Services our investigators often insist that a police report be filed before taking on the assignment so investigative efforts are coordinated, and no time is lost. Regardless of best intentions, many police departments across the country are understaffed, under trained and poorly resourced. Too often this is misconstrued as not caring when it is more about how police agencies are allocating their manpower and resources.
Private investigators have access to certain database resources that the police do not utilize and while police officers can trace any license plates, experienced private investigators have the tools to determine where a vehicle has been over the course of time. As an example, for several months our investigators have been tracking vehicles associated with a missing individual who was a victim of a cult kidnapping, updating the family on their daughter’s current whereabouts in real time. Most importantly, a qualified private investigator will not pass judgment, alleviating any fear that the family may have about coming forward and sharing private information about their loved one.
It is never too soon to contact a licensed private investigator once the police have been notified. When choosing a private investigator, it’s imperative that the investigator and/or agency have ties to the law enforcement community and can illustrate a past experience in locating missing individuals. Many private investigation firms are either owned or staffed by retired law enforcement professionals who have developed numerous contacts and years of experience working on similar cases.
Conclusion
Even if you are not ready to hire an investigator, an initial consultation may provide invaluable information that the family may not have been aware of. At Integrated Security Services, once we are retained our clients will receive personal attention and will always be available to discuss your case with the investigator assigned. The investigative staff at Integrated Security Services has more than 30-years of experience and resources to manage these sensitive cases and can be reached 24/7 at (888)-808-9119 or by visiting our website at www.intesecurity.com
Footnotes:
Giacalone, Joseph, Retired NYPD Sergeant Supervisor Detective Squad, Adjunct Professor John Jay College of Criminal Justice, www. Josephgiacalone.com
McDaniel, Tiffany: On the Savage Side, Penguin Random House, February 2023, ISBN # 9780593320709
Vongkiatkajorn, Kanyakrit: NYPD: How The Police handles Missing Person Cases, A guide to understanding how the NYPD responds to a missing person, nycitynewsservice.com
