When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide, Third Edition

• NCJ Number: 204958
• Author(s): Heather Cox; Marion Boburka; Colleen Nick; Claudine Ryce; Don Ryce; Patrick Sessions; Patty Wetterling
• Date Published: May 2004
• Length: 99 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-MC-CX-K010
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: Fox Valley Technical College
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse/NCJRS
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: See NCJ-206837 for the Spanish version.

Annotation

Written by parents and family members whose children and child relatives were abducted, this guide provides practical information about what family members can do to help law enforcement officials in the search and recovery of their missing child.

Abstract

The guide first presents a checklist that summarizes the most important steps parents should take after they determine that their child is missing, including whom to call, what to do to preserve any evidence, and where to turn for help. This is followed by a chapter on the search for the child. The chapter describes the role of the parents in the search during the first 48 hours, along with the roles of law enforcement personnel and volunteers. The long-term search should the child not be recovered in the first 48 hours is then discussed. This includes a discussion of the roles of private detectives and psychics. The second chapter discusses the parents' relationship with law enforcement officials in the course of the search and investigation, and it offers tips that will facilitate effective cooperation between parents and police. The third chapter examines issues related to the most effective use of the media in the search, with attention to media packages, press conferences, and interviews. The next chapter offers suggestions for composing fliers about the child and for managing the photo and flier distribution process. The fifth chapter focuses on the many uses of volunteers, both trained and untrained, to help in the search and to assist in meeting the needs of family members. A chapter on rewards and donations discusses their use and management, followed by a chapter that offers suggestions on how parents should care for themselves, their other children, and members of the extended family. Each chapter outlines key points and provides a checklist for tasks discussed in the chapter. 9 annotated recommended readings and 41 suggested resources, including a State-by-State listing of contact information on missing children's clearinghouses