February 3rd is National Missing Persons Day.
Each month, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) publishes reports and statistics for all unresolved missing persons, unresolved unidentified persons, and unresolved unclaimed person cases published. To improve the transparency of the monthly caseload, including requests for forensic services that the NamUs staff support, we have developed new case reports that we are excited to share with you.
Starting in January 2023, each report includes monthly statistics for:
The last monthly report pulled: November 2024
Here are some of the highlights:
The reasons for going missing are many and varied and can include mental illness, miscommunication, misadventure, domestic violence, and being a victim of crime. - National Missing Persons Coordination Centre
While there are inherent risks attached to any missing event, specific population groups are recognized as particularly vulnerable to harm while missing. Adults are more likely to be listed as long-term missing persons, however, our youth are most likely to be reported missing. Of the 55,000 missing persons reports submitted to police in 2022, 54% relate to those aged between the years 13 - 17.
Take a look at some statistics below from the FBI of reported missing persons cases in the U.S. in 2022 alone:
