Resources

IF your child goes missing

Request your child’s name and identifying information be immediately entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File. This helps ensure any law enforcement agency in the country will be able to identify your child if he or she is found in another community.
Federal Missing Child Acts
The Missing Children Act of 1982 (28 U.S.C. § 534 (a)) enables families to guarantee information about their missing child is properly entered into the FBI’s NCIC databases. If you have doubts about whether the law-enforcement agency taking the missing-child report has entered your child’s information, you have the right to ask the FBI to verify the entry. If the case has not been entered, ask the FBI to make the entry for you. You may also call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to verify your child’s information was correctly entered into the NCIC databases.
The Missing Children Assistance Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. §§ 5771 et seq. as amended) mandates the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to provide certain services including the establishment of a toll-free telephone line to receive information about missing and sexually exploited children and provision of assistance to families and law enforcement in the search for missing children. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children serves as the national clearinghouse and resource center that carries out these mandates on behalf of DoJ with funding and program coordination provided by DoJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The National Child Search Assistance Act of 1990 (Pub. L. No. 101-647) requires federal, state, and local law enforcement to immediately enter reports of a missing child who is younger than 18 years of age and unidentified persons into the NCIC, and work cooperatively with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on these difficult cases. It also eliminates any waiting period prior to entry of this information into NCIC.
In addition the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Pub. L. No. 109-248) enhances the Missing Children Act of 1982 by mandating entry of information must be made by law enforcement into NCIC’s Missing Person File within two hours’ receipt of a report of a missing or abducted child.
Please understand and exercise your rights as stipulated by these Acts.

After you have reported your child missing to local law enforcement, call NCMEC’s toll-free telephone number 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678). A Call Center Specialist will take information concerning your child, a Case Manager may be able to follow-up with you and the law-enforcement agency investigating the case, and NCMEC may be able to refer you to a support group in your community that may also help.

Adapted from Just in Case...Missing. Copyright© 1985 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved.
Request your child’s name and identifying information be immediately entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File. This helps ensure any law enforcement agency in the country will be able to identify your child if he or she is found in another community.
Federal Missing Child Acts
The Missing Children Act of 1982 (28 U.S.C. § 534 (a)) enables families to guarantee information about their missing child is properly entered into the FBI’s NCIC databases. If you have doubts about whether the law-enforcement agency taking the missing-child report has entered your child’s information, you have the right to ask the FBI to verify the entry. If the case has not been entered, ask the FBI to make the entry for you. You may also call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to verify your child’s information was correctly entered into the NCIC databases.
The Missing Children Assistance Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. §§ 5771 et seq. as amended) mandates the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to provide certain services including the establishment of a toll-free telephone line to receive information about missing and sexually exploited children and provision of assistance to families and law enforcement in the search for missing children. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children serves as the national clearinghouse and resource center that carries out these mandates on behalf of DoJ with funding and program coordination provided by DoJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The National Child Search Assistance Act of 1990 (Pub. L. No. 101-647) requires federal, state, and local law enforcement to immediately enter reports of a missing child who is younger than 18 years of age and unidentified persons into the NCIC, and work cooperatively with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on these difficult cases. It also eliminates any waiting period prior to entry of this information into NCIC.
In addition the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Pub. L. No. 109-248) enhances the Missing Children Act of 1982 by mandating entry of information must be made by law enforcement into NCIC’s Missing Person File within two hours’ receipt of a report of a missing or abducted child.
Please understand and exercise your rights as stipulated by these Acts.

After you have reported your child missing to local law enforcement, call NCMEC’s toll-free telephone number 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678). A Call Center Specialist will take information concerning your child, a Case Manager may be able to follow-up with you and the law-enforcement agency investigating the case, and NCMEC may be able to refer you to a support group in your community that may also help.

Adapted from Just in Case...Missing. Copyright© 1985 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved.