Relatives of missing adults want laws to make police look for their loved ones

Waterbury Republican-American ^ | March 28, 2007 | Associated Press

[Graybeard58]

In October, the organization warned it may close its doors if it did not get more funding

The crux of the matter.

[Hildy]

This is so hard. So many adults leave and don't want to be found.

[Gay State Conservative]

Police Departments could certainly adopt a policy of going all out to find every adult who's reported as missing as soon as the report is made.Doing so could possibly save some lives.But the costs of the additional manpower required to do this would be staggering.

[Graybeard58]

I think of all the missing spouses reported missing, when all they wanted to do is get the hell away from their partner.

[ozoneliar]

The point is, people also leave, and do want to be found. I.e Kidnapped, killed, thrown in a ditch.

[Millee]

I wonder if there are any stats out there on how many adults voluntarily go missing. It's heartless to do to the family, but not a crime.

[murron]

It's a shame. The cable channels becomes focused on a select few, such as Natalie Holloway or Chandra Levy, and the rest be damned. Maybe they should do a story on one different missing adult per week, instead of concentrating on one or two. But, of course, they probably wouldn't get the ratings they are seeking.

[ishabibble]

I would be interested in hearing about a 19 yr. old boy who disappears from the driveway of his home and nothing is done about it. What if he had been a girl? That sort of bias is really evident in missing persons cases.

[RJS1950]

You are right. If the adult is not a young woman or pregnant young mother then you hear nothing.

In our local area there are a number of young men as well as young women who do fit the media profile who disappear and there is rarely if ever a big local effort much less national attention.

Young missing men are usually not considered important enough to spend much time on.

[mucrospirifer]

I agree.

After Natalie Holloway vanished, I read (think it was in a a FR post) that according to the FBI, a majority of those adults who disappeared were non-white, and a majority were male.

Apparently, all victims are equal, but some victims are more equal than others.

[dirtboy]

Police Departments could certainly adopt a policy of going all out to find every adult who's reported as missing as soon as the report is made.

The problem is, adults have a right to disappear if they so desire. Some have good reason to do such, and might not want authorities aggressively looking for them - a wife might leave an abusive husband, the husband puts on a sob story for the cops, the cops find the wife, the abusive husband uses the info to go to her new residence and harm her.

I think the current system is a good balance - pursue a missing persons case if there is any indication of foul play.

[ASOC]

Don't forget the recent case of the college who went missing, who after 10 years was found - living under her own name, working under her own SSN - and moved because she was tired of Mom meddling in her life.

If you have a name and SSN, a LexisNexis search will pop up your 'missing' person if they are working under their own SSN - complete with address and phone (even unlisted) numbers. Skip tracers just love these guys. Other provide much the same service - use 'skip trace' as a key word search, and prepare to have your world rocked.

These folks can also thoughtfully provide just about everything needed for ID theft as well. Amazing what $15 will get you.

[Elsie]

Hello!!!

I think that ADULTS can disappear if they wish!!

[Elsie]

Police Departments could certainly adopt a policy of going all out to find every adult who's reported as missing as soon as the report is made.Doing so could possibly save some lives.But the costs of the additional manpower required to do this would be staggering.

Not after the GPS/OnStar®/cellphone chip gets implanted at birth.

[Elsie]

Apparently, all victims are equal, but some victims are more equal than others.

Ya gotta know your audience.

[Elsie]

Then there's the Purdue guy, found after a couple of months, laying across a high-voltage transformer.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/20/national/main2587320.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_2587320

(Check out the placement of the AD right above the VIDEO here.)


Stop youth smoking indeed!!!

[ASOC]

Sounds like the phone company that gave the dial a prayer folks the phone number 403-3266. Just no accounting for folks' bad taste.


BTW, pushing the police to find the student would have made no change in his status (he really was DRT) - a shame for the family tho.

[supercat]

Sounds like the phone company that gave the dial a prayer folks the phone number 403-3266. Just no accounting for folks' bad taste.

Not 463-3266? A zero is not an "o".

[ASOC]

By choice - you get the idea. I'll stick with the original 10.

[Elsie]

When I was a kid, I had a little electric hotdog cooker.

(It's probably BANNED now!)

Just the electric cord that terminated with 4 prongs on the left and four on the right.

You'd stick a wiener between a set of prongs and then plug the cord into the outlet.

That poor dog would pop and sizzle as the current went thru it, heating it up nicely.

That was the FIRST thing I thought of when I'd heard the news about this unfortunate kid.