Showing posts with label Missing Persons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Missing Persons. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

15 Things To Remember To Do When An Adult Goes Missing

A perfect example of what missing person's poster should look like.

When you proclaim to be a "security expert", people can ask you a litany of questions about a variety of security-related topics. They range from the mundane ("Can you tell me what the best lock to buy is for my backyard?") to the more serious. The other day a dear friend asked me about the latter. It's the toughest one to give a lot of good advice on.  However, he was a friend and so I gave him what little advice I thought was helpful. His question was "How can I find a missing adult?". This question is tough for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is when looking for missing adults, you're doing what I call "chasing a ghost". Sometimes, when adults go missing, they hide better than my preschooler when I say it's time for a nap. Many do this for numerous reasons like drugs, domestic violence, stalkers, divorce, debt, etc. So what happens when you're a legitimate party concerned for their well-being and you need to find them?

  1. Call the hospital emergency room. Some hospitals are cool. Others will make life difficult. Actually, that's an understatement. Since the inception of HIPAA, hospitals have treated medical information with higher security protocols than at Area 51. So how do you circumvent the inevitable "I can't tell you that"? Easy. You reply "Can you at least tell me if you have a John/Jane Doe fitting this description?" Be specific and be prepared to go there. You'll need to do this every day until you find your target.
  2. Call the morgue. I know it's crappy to do. However, people die without identification sometimes. Our national health records are still woefully behind. So you'll have to call the morgue periodically. Ask them if they had any John/Jane Does fitting the description of your target with clothes you last saw them in. Be specific and be prepared for the worst.
  3. Call the jail. It's crappy but it's necessary and realistic. Seriously, you and your spouse fight. They leave and have a beer or more. Cop pulls them over for DUI and he sits in a cell sobering up. Calling you is the last thing on his mind. It happens more than many people will admit. You want the numbers for the county jail and the police department's "lock-up". 
  4. Compile a list of email addresses, social media account information, and cell phones used by the missing persons. Law enforcement will ask for this at some point and it's good for your own personal investigation as well. Just remember to forward whatever leads you have to the cops.
  5. You need pictures. Find photos from social media, cell phones, cameras, USBs laying around, etc. What you want are FULL FRONTAL (not that frontal) face shots. You want people to see a face and a body as well. The picture should be clear and easily transferable to various media like newsletters, posters, cards, etc.
  6. You need these picture ASAP. These are the first things the cops ask for. So have them ready.
  7. Make your poster and distribute to places within a 10 mile radius. The poster is easy. Go to an office print shop and tell them what you need. Come back in an hour and you have a missing person poster.  What you want on the poster? Easy. It should resemble a "Wanted" poster. Full face shot with name, nickname, vehicle last seen in, medications needed (people are more prone to look if they know a person could be sick), contact info for you, and any sizable reward money you may have. Distribute this poster at gas stations, convenience stores, drug stores, and fast food places. You'll need to talk to management. That's great because now you can make face-time with the staff who may have seen him as well. Go to bars only if you're comfortable. Here's a link to a really cool template I use on occasion: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_kVE6GaxBZTVXlVDH6PCjOSKooOsADUx_wpkX_EOY84/pub
  8. Call their friends and family. Don't just call siblings and parents. Call extended family. Someone may have information but not be able to communicate that to siblings and parents. Treat these people like informants. Vet them and ponder their motivations. Never "burn" them. If they tell you something in confidence, it should remain there. You may need them later.
  9. File a stolen vehicle report immediately. Why? Anyone who has ever worked as a police officer will tell you why. It's simple. Cops get briefed at the beginning of their shifts on newly reported stolen vehicles. They love looking for these because they are a guaranteed arrest. So they will be actively looking for our missing person's car. DO THIS ONLY IF YOU OWN THE VEHICLE AS WELL!
  10. Physically walk your missing person's steps from the day they went missing back 24 hours. Sounds crazy but investigators do this at crime scenes. This is how the discover new clues they never saw before. Note where they could have gone, what could have caused them to go missing, and who would have saw them.
  11. Go through their social media life for the past week and note new acquaintances, stressors, topics and areas of interest, and any place they would have gone before under similar circumstances. You should be looking at check-ins, reviews on favorite eating establishments, sentimental locations, any significant dates (death, divorce, birth), increased communication with certain people, and noted change in tone or attitude.
  12. Create a checklist and do this again until you find them. This takes time. A lot of time. Be prepared to revisit these items daily. Annotate any leads in a notepad and revolve your day around following new leads and the checklist. You want to be systematic and thorough. Consider expanding your search on a weekly basis in 5 to 10 mile increments. Pick something that is manageable. Above all, remain calm and be patient.
  13. Don't be afraid of the media. Seriously, call the press ASAP. Make your significant other matter to them. Mention veteran status, children, career aspirations, contributions to society, suspicious circumstances as long as they don't sound like a Univision soap opera, etc. Tell the truth. Never lie or embellish. You lie now and when you need them to believe you they won't.
  14. Stay on the police and forward any significant leads to them. Let me be clear: "Leads are not significant if you're just calling the cops to tell them they suck". Remember what I said about being patient? You're not the only person who is missing someone. However, call them periodically and get to know who is working the case. Ascertain when you can expect contact from them. Ask them what steps they're taking. You don't want to double your efforts but you do want to close any gaps. If you're not making headway with them, remember everyone has a supervisor.
  15. The keys to success in this game are persistence, patience, and diligence.

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