Missing Children
MISSING CHILDREN
Victims and Survivor Rights and Resources
Who is a Missing Person?
In California, a missing person is someone whose whereabouts is unknown to the reporting party.
· For clarification, under California law, a missing child is a person 17 years of age or younger. (California Penal Code § 277.)
· A Missing Child includes any child who may have run away, been taken involuntarily, or may be in need of assistance. It includes a child illegally taken, held or hidden by a parent or non-parent family member. (California Penal Code §§ 277-280).
How to Report a Missing Child?
There is NO waiting period for reporting a person missing. All California police and sheriffs' departments must accept any report, including a report by telephone, of a missing person, including runaways, without delay and will give priority to the handling of the report.
You can request investigators to enter the child into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Persons File. There is no waiting period for entry into the NCIC database.
What to do when Your Child is Missing?
Published by the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this guide was written by parents and family members who have experienced the disappearance of a child. It contains their combined advice concerning what you can expect when your child is missing, what you can do, and where you can go for help. It explains the role that various agencies and organizations play in the search for your missing child and discusses some of the important issues that you and your family need to consider. Available in English and Spanish. http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/ResourceServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=644
Nationwide Resources
(1) National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
The NCMEC is the national organization that anyone reporting a missing child is encouraged to contact and register the missing child to a nationwide database.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
699 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314–3175
(800) THE–LOST
(800) 826–7653 (TTY), or 703–274–3900
(703) 274–2200 (Fax)
Internet: www.missingkids.com
CyberTipline: www.cybertipline.com
California Branch Office: (714) 508–0150
(2) U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime
Established in 1988 through an amendment to the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is charged by Congress with administering the Crime Victims Fund. Through OVC, the Crime Victims Fund supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives.
Office for Victims of Crime
Office of Justice Programs
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
(202) 307–5983
(202) 514–6383 (Fax)
Internet: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc
(3) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The FBI investigates kidnappings and missing persons. The Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) maintains the largest investigative repository of major violent crime cases in the U.S. It is designed to collect and analyze information about homicides, sexual assaults, missing persons, and other violent crimes involving unidentified human remains.
FBI Headquarters
Special Investigations and Initiatives Unit
Crimes Against Children Unit
935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Washington, DC 20535
202–324–3666
202–324–2731 (Fax)
FBI Offices in California
FBI Los Angeles
Suite 1700, FOB
11000 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
losangeles.fbi.gov
(310) 477-6565
FBI Sacramento
4500 Orange Grove Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95841
sacramento.fbi.gov
(916) 481-9110
FBI San Diego
Federal Office Building
9797 Aero Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
sandiego.fbi.gov
(858) 565-1255
FBI San Francisco
450 Golden Gate Ave., 13th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
sanfrancisco.fbi.gov
(415) 553-7400
(4) U.S. Department of Justice, Child Protection Division
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) sponsors research, program, and training initiatives; develops priorities and goals and sets policies to guide federal juvenile justice issues; disseminates information about juvenile justice issues; and awards funds to states to support local programming. OJJDP sponsors programs such as the AMBER Alert and the Sex Offender Public website.
Child Protection Division
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office of Justice Programs
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
(202) 616–3637
(202) 307–2819 (Fax)
Internet: http://www.ojjdp.gov
(5) AMBER Alert
AMBER Alert (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.
· AMBER ALERT gives the public the information needed to locate abducted children.
· The AMBER ALERT Program has helped in successfully recovering over one hundred children since it was established statewide in California on July 31, 2002.
· AMBER ALERT may be activated only by law enforcement agencies.
· AMBER ALERT is intended only for the most serious, time-critical child abduction cases.
· AMBER ALERT is not intended for cases involving runaways or parental abduction, except in life-threatening situations.
http://www.chp.ca.gov/amber/index.html
Criteria for activating an AMBER Alert
Law enforcement agencies ensure these conditions are met before activating an AMBER ALERT:
• The investigating law enforcement agency confirms an abduction has occurred.
• The victim is 17 years of age or younger, or has a proven mental or physical disability.
• The victim is in imminent danger of serious injury or death.
• There is information available that, if provided to the public, could assist in the child's safe recovery.
http://www.chp.ca.gov/amber/index.html
Statewide Resources
(1) The Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, California Department of Justice
The Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit maintains statewide files containing the dental records, photographs and physical characteristics of missing and unidentified persons.
Staff assists law enforcement agencies in locating missing persons and identifying unknown live and deceased persons through the comparison of physical characteristics, fingerprints, and dental/body X-rays. (California Penal Code §§ 14200-14213).
a) Physical Identification
The physical identification component compares reports of missing persons and unidentified persons against each other for possible matches. Possible matches can be made from comparison of physical characteristics such as hair color, eye color, height, and weight, or from comparison of other physical identifiers such as clothing, jewelry, scars, or tattoos.
Staff also makes inquiries into a variety of governmental and private data bases to find information which may result in the location of persons reported missing. Any information found is disclosed to the reporting law enforcement agency.
b) Dental Identification
In 1979, California became the first state to implement a statewide Dental Identification Program to process dental records submitted by law enforcement agencies and coroners throughout California and other states.
Staff classify, index, and compare dental records of missing and unidentified persons against each other for possible matches. If a possible match is made based upon dental records, the contributing agencies are notified.
c) Missing Children Clearinghouse
The California Missing Children Clearinghouse (MCCH) maintains a toll-free telephone hotline (1-800-222-FIND) 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to receive information and inquiries regarding missing children. It relays this information to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
The California MCCH may also be reached at (916) 227-3290 or by Email at missing.persons@doj.ca.gov.
d) Missing Persons DNA Database (NEW and DEVELOPING)
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is developing a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) database for all cases involving the report of an unidentified deceased person or a high-risk missing person. (California Penal Code § 14250.)
Family members can voluntarily submit DNA samples for analysis that will be collected by law enforcement and the coroner will collect samples from the unidentified deceased. This DNA sample is to be used only for the purpose of identifying the missing person.
No incentive or coercion shall be used to compel a parent or relative to provide a sample.
http://oag.ca.gov/missing/mups
Local Resources
Contact local law enforcement to report a missing child or children as soon as possible.
Local authorities include: the Sheriff’s Department, the city police department, and school districts.