Missing and Exploited Persons.

Missing person reports are sorted into categories, and the category tells you how much danger to assume. The TCOLE outline lists eight: disability, endangered, involuntary, voluntary missing adult, disaster victim, juvenile, missing from care, and other.

Several categories apply to a person of any age. An endangered person is missing in the company of another person under circumstances that place them in danger. An involuntary missing person disappeared under circumstances showing it was not voluntary. A disaster victim is assumed to be the victim of a natural or man-made disaster.

A voluntary missing adult left of their own free will. Do not read “voluntary” as “safe”. The outline points out that a person may have left intentionally in order to commit suicide.

People missing from care include adults missing from hospitals, residential care homes and mental health facilities, and children who are not in the physical custody of the agency, individual or institution with whom they were placed. The child’s whereabouts may or may not be known. People missing from care may be more vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation, harm or injury because of neglect, mental health, lack of financial or emotional support, disability or illness.

The category says who is missing. The circumstances say how it happened. The outline covers abductions, runaways, throwaway or giveaway youth, wandering, at risk or endangered persons, and people displaced by disaster.

Abduction victims can be any age and may or may not know the abductor. A family abduction occurs when a child is taken, wrongfully retained or concealed by a parent or other family member, depriving another person of custody or visitation rights. It does not matter that the child is willing to go. Children are much more likely to be abducted by someone they know than by a stranger, and any abduction can put a person in grave danger, even one by a parent. A non-family abduction is committed by someone known but not related to the victim, such as a neighbor, teacher, coworker or online acquaintance, or by someone unknown. A missing child is any child younger than 18.

A runaway is a person under 18 who voluntarily leaves home or a place of legal residence without the permission of a parent or legal guardian. This includes children in government care who leave without permission. Children run to escape a negative home, abuse, a mental health condition or substance abuse. Children with experience in the child welfare system are prone to running, and once a child runs from care the first time, the likelihood of running again significantly increases. Throwaway or giveaway youth were asked to leave, forced to leave or given away with no alternate care arranged, and the lack of support raises their risk of trafficking and exploitation.

Wandering happens when someone who needs supervision leaves a safe place or a responsible person’s care and may not recognize dangers such as traffic, open water, heights, weather and strangers. It can be goal-directed (heading for something of interest or a familiar place), bolting or fleeing (a sudden run to escape stress or out of excitement), or other wandering caused by disorientation, nighttime wandering, confusion, a mental health crisis, being under the influence, simply becoming lost, or a cognitive impairment such as dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease.

A disaster is any event whose widespread impacts exceed a community’s ability to cope using its own resources. The outline counts extreme weather, mass shootings, major sporting events, large festivals or concerts, and transportation incidents. Disasters displace many people quickly, damage roads and buildings, knock out phone and internet service, and block planned evacuation routes.

Five systems hold or share missing person information, and you should know what each one is for.

The Missing Persons Clearinghouse (MPCH) is the Texas clearinghouse created by Chapter 63. It is the central repository of information on missing children, missing persons and attempted child abductions. It exchanges information with the NCIC Missing Person File, keeps a centralized file that includes unidentified dead bodies within the state, cross-checks unidentified bodies against missing children and missing persons, and keeps its investigative records confidential.

The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a computerized index of missing persons and criminal information, designed for rapid exchange of information between criminal justice agencies. The Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) is the statewide database and is directly linked to NCIC.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a national centralized repository and resource center for missing, unidentified and unclaimed person cases. It connects law enforcement with tools to resolve long-term cases. The Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return emergency response center is a nationwide emergency response service for people living with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, specializing in wandering and medical emergencies.