People go missing in the US more often than most of us realize. The trends are disturbing, no matter who you are. What is more disturbing is the fact that no matter how determined law enforcement, family and friends may be, many of these missing people are never found. Some even believe there seems to be a trend when it comes to certain groups of people.
Missing Children
According to AMBER Alerts, cases of missing children have decreased by about 20% between 2015 and 2019. As of New Year’s Eve 2020, over 1,600,000 people had gone missing for the year, with a total result of 89,637 active missing person reports remaining. Of that number, according to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), about 34% of the people missing were under the age of 18.
In 2019, of the 145 AMBER Alerts issued, 142 children were recovered successfully. This success doesn’t take away from the disturbing fact that so many children go missing each year. In addition, these are simply the cases in which AMBER Alerts were used. Not all missing children are reported.
Native American Women
These women are murdered and sexually assaulted more than 10 times that of the average among particular counties in the US. Often, this violence occurs in remote areas, where they may fall between jurisdictions, and often by someone outside the Native American community.
In 2016, the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI), based in Seattle, WA, reported 5,712 missing women or girls who were Native American or Alaskan Indian. Only 116 of them were registered in the Department of Justice database — a mere fraction of those actually missing. These females are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violent crimes and twice as likely to be victims of sexual assaults. Thankfully, these numbers are becoming more readily available and exposed for the public to take notice and take action.
Hunters
Hunters don’t often go out into areas they don’t know, or without the knowledge of being able to find their way back. So, for hunters to go missing is disturbing. One such incident involved 82-year-old Thomas Messick, when he vanished while on a hunting trip in the upper part of New York state.
Even with his rifle and a walkie-talkie, Messick disappeared without a trace. With age being a factor, it’s unlikely the man would have wandered far from where he was staying, and yet no evidence of his whereabouts has been found since he went missing.
A documentary called “Missing 411: The Hunted” describes Thomas Messick’s story along with other accounts of hunters disappearing in strange ways.
Education and Awareness
The thought of missing people is already disturbing enough, but the patterns that form, especially in the case of women and children, can be difficult to stomach. Many kidnappings and related crimes are due to vulnerabilities in the system — and these issues can only change with education and awareness. After all, our communities are only as safe as each of us is willing to make them.
