FAQS
How many missing children are there?
The missing children issue is complex and multifaceted. Children may become missing due to abduction by nonfamily members or abduction by family members. Children may become missing as a result of running away from home. Children may also become missing involuntarily for reasons other than abduction such as becoming lost, injured or under other circumstances. The FBI maintains comprehensive statistics regarding the number of children and adults entered by law enforcement agencies into the National Crime Information Center’s Missing Person File each year. In 2014 there were 466,949 entries made by law enforcement for those younger than 18.
What type of missing child case is most common?
The most frequent types of cases reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® are: Runaways. Family abductions. Lost, injured or otherwise missing children. The least frequent cases reported to NCMEC are nonfamily abductions. It is important to assess the risk to each child on an individual case-by-case basis. A child missing under any circumstances may be at risk of harm or exploitation.
How can I help find missing children?
There are many ways you can get involved with or donate to NCMEC. The best way to help is to look at photos of missing children and report any information you may have regarding the whereabouts of those children to 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678).Top
Get help now
IF YOUR CHILD IS MISSING
Act immediately if you believe your child is missing.
Download this checklist of actions to be taken by families in the initial stages of a missing child case.
If you have any questions call the NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678) .
If you are not located in the United States, call your country's hotline.
What to do if your child is missing
1. Immediately call your local law enforcement agency. 2. After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST(1-800-843-5678). 3. If your child is missing from home, search through:
- Closets.
- Piles of laundry.
- In and under beds.
- Inside large appliances.
- Vehicles – including trunks.
- Anywhere else that a child may crawl or hide.
4. Notify the store manager or security office if your child cannot be found when in a store. Then immediately call your local law enforcement agency. Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action in place.
When you call law enforcement:
Provide law enforcement with your child’s name, date of birth, height, weight and descriptions of any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces. Tell them when you noticed your child was missing and what clothing he or she was wearing. Request law enforcement authorities immediately enter your child’s name and identifying information into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Missing Person File.
How NCMEC can help
When you call NCMEC, a Call Center specialist will record information about your child. A NCMEC case management team will next work directly with your family and the law enforcement agency investigating your case. They will offer technical assistance tailored to your case to help ensure all available search and recovery methods are used. As appropriate NCMEC case management teams:
- Rapidly create and disseminate posters to help generate leads.
- Rapidly review, analyze and disseminate leads received on 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) to the investigating law enforcement agency.
- Communicate with federal agencies to provide services to assist in the location and recovery of missing children.
- Provide peer support, resources and empowerment from trained volunteers who have experienced a missing child incident in their own family.
- Provide families with access to referrals they may use to help process any emotional or counseling needs.
VICTIM & FAMILY SUPPORT
We're Here to Help.
Coping with the traumatic experiences of abduction and sexual exploitation demands courage and determination on the part of the victim, parents,guardians and other family members. The master-level trained mental health and child welfare professionals at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® work within the Family Advocacy Division to proactively help families, law enforcement, social service agencies and mental health agencies by providing a support network for child victims and their families.
The victim and family support services provided by NCMEC include:
- Immediate crisis intervention when a family needs help with a missing, exploited or recovered child.
- Team Hope: A network of volunteers who have personally experienced having a missing or exploited child. These volunteers provide peer support to families of actively missing, recovered, or exploited children.
- Hope Bags: For victims of child sex trafficking, escaping their traffickers often means leaving with nothing but the clothes on their back. Hope Bags provide survivors with basic items they need for those first few hours and days after recovery.
- Support for survivors of abduction and exploitation, including helping them to connect with other victims.
- Emotional support for endangered runaways, parents, guardians and families.
- Referrals to appropriate agencies and mental health professionals.
- Reunification assistance from skilled therapists to help reintegrate a recovered child back into the home during each stage of reconnecting and rebuilding.
- Legal resources and technical assistance for victims, families, law enforcement, and the attorneys involved in cases regarding missing or exploited children.
- Support for siblings of victims.
- Assistance in locating federal, state and local organizations for sexually exploited youth.
- Support for law enforcement if local services are not able to meet a family’s needs.
NCMEC is ready to provide support and assistance to you and your family. Call us at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678.)
