Tip Sheet
CONTACT: Sally Franklin Christie, sally@sallyfranklinchristie.com
Ways to Affect the Silent Epidemic by Solving Missing Persons Cases
Bozeman, MT – 15 February 2013 – As of December 31, 2011, The National Crime Information Center, NCIC, contained 85,158 Active Missing Person Records. These files contain various categories of missing persons. Among them are unidentified deceased persons and persons of any age who are living and unable to determine their identity. Files also address unidentified catastrophe victims.
“During 2011, 1,030 unidentified person records were entered into NCIC, These people deserve a name.” says Sally Franklin Christie, author of Milk Carton People. “If more people knew about this silent epidemic more cases could be canceled and many people could have closure, surrounding a loved one’s disappearanc
Four Ways to Get Involved with Solving Missing Persons Cases
You can help identify a missing person by getting involved.
Visit the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, NamUS. Through NamUs, users will have access to two databases: Unidentified Persons database and Missing Persons database.
- If you have information about a missing or unidentified person, immediately report the information to the local law enforcement agency.
- Raise Awareness by scouring the NamUs website for news releases, encourage family and friends to visit both the Unidentified Persons and Missing Persons databases. Register and become a public user for the missing persons and unidentified persons databases.
- Become a Volunteer. If you are a Board Certified Anthropologist or a Board Certified Odontologist, donate your time to assisting agencies that do not have access to such forensic services.
Volunteer opportunities may be available with other well known organizations and groups that offer assistance to law enforcement.
Other Options for the general public include:
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) was established in 1984. Its mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families and the professionals who serve them.
The Doe Network is a volunteer organization devoted to assisting law enforcement in solving cold cases concerning unexplained disappearances and unidentified victims from North America, Australia and Europe.
Project EDAN (Everyone Deserves A Name) is a site established for forensic artists that donate their time and work to make facial reconstructions for law enforcement agencies that do not have access to or funding for a qualified forensic artist.
- http://onemissinglink.org
One Missing Link, Inc. is a not-for-profit service organization designed to work in conjunction with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Its purpose is to provide a link between families of the missing and existing systems in a cooperative effort to reunite the missing and their families. In addition, the agency is dedicated to providing valid information regarding missing adults, children, parental abductions, stranger abductions, runaway and/or throwaway youth and stalking victims.
Christie is experienced in organizing for social change and has a knack for spotting problems others can relate to. She takes it one step further by gathering information toward solving those problems. She is a past president and board member of the Coalition of Montanans Concerned with Disabilities, CMCD, and worked to help the disability community with legislation in the early days of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. Christie combines her organizing experience with a love for writing.
Milk Carton People
Sally Franklin Christie
Eternal Press Publishing
February 2012
$17.99 Print/ ISBN: 9781615726097
$5.95 eBook/ ISBN: 9781615726080
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CONTACT: Sally Franklin Christie, sally@sallyfranklinchristie.com