NCJ Number
126094
Date Published
1990
Length
69 pages
Annotation
Thousands of persons are reported missing in Missouri each year with the largest group being children under the age of seventeen.
Abstract
The data were obtained from the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System (MULES). There has been an increase each year in the number of active missing person cases in the MULES from 1985 through 1988. Of all 1988 active missing person cases in MULES, 83.8 percent involved a juvenile under the age of 17. One child was reported missing every 49 minutes during 1988. Fortunately, the majority of children who are reported missing are found and, in most instances, are recovered in a relatively short time span. However, the fact that 629 children were still missing with the majority of them being missing for an appreciable time period is a major concern. And even though a large number of the missing children were recovered in a relatively short time frame, the children may have been involved in criminal activity, victimized, physically abused, or sexually abused while missing. Children who were missing on a repetitive basis make up a sizable proportion of the total problem in the State. 18 tables, 32 figures, and glossary.