What should you do if your child goes missing?

With 381 minors reported missing in Detroit so far this year, children make up most of the city’s missing persons cases. Of that number, 54 have not yet been found, the Detroit Police Department (DPD) told Outlier Media.

No parent or guardian wants to feel the agony of their child going missing. The first 48 hours are critical , but it can be difficult for parents to think straight when emotions are high. This is a guide that explains what parents of missing Detroit children should do and what they can expect from DPD.

How to file a missing persons report for a child in Detroit

You can report that your child has gone missing by calling 911 or DPD’s Telephone Crime Reporting Unit at 313-267-4600 . If your child is a Detroit resident, you can report them missing at any police precinct in the city.

You should be provided with the name and number of the investigating officer and the incident report number.

If your child is a Detroit Public Schools Community District student and they go missing during school hours, you can file a report with its Department of Public Safety . However, a spokesperson for the district said it recommends that parents and guardians call DPD instead.

What if my adult child goes missing?

For residents 21 years or older, DPD’s policy for handling missing persons is that a report will not be accepted until they have been gone at least 24 hours “except in unusual circumstances of incompetence, senility, evidence of foul play, or other extenuating factors.”

What information and materials will the police need from me?

The police will ask you for a clear, updated photo of your child and a comprehensive description including their height, weight and the clothes they were last seen wearing. It’s also helpful to include unique identifiers like scars, birthmarks and tattoos. It’s even better if you have photos on hand of these distinguishing features.

The police will ask you about your child’s habits, behaviors and any recent changes you may have noticed. They will also work to determine who has legal custody of the child.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recommends that you tell law enforcement about anyone who may have taken a special interest in your child, anyone whose relationship with your family may have recently changed and anyone who moved in or out of the neighborhood in the past year.

DPD will ask you to fill out a media release form so it can post your child’s photo on its “Missing” Facebook page . The department told Outlier Media it also sends out releases to the media for all missing children.

What will happen during the investigation?

During the investigation, you should expect to participate in witness interviews. You should also expect that your house will be searched.

It is recommended that you limit access to your home and that you don’t touch anything in your child’s room until the police can search it and collect evidence. Their room could hold DNA that could help with the investigation. Hair from their comb or brush could be used as a DNA sample. The scent of their unwashed linen or laundry could be used as material for tracking dogs. Their phone, computer or notebook could hold important clues. See OJJDP’s full checklist on how to help law enforcement gather evidence.

Police will likely search the last place your child was seen. They may also search your child’s school and their friends’ homes. They will check social media and may look for helpful surveillance video and other footage.

As part of the investigation, officers are required by state law to report your child’s disappearance to three computer systems: the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network , the National Crime Information Center and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System . Doing so can help investigators cross-reference the disappearance and ultimately may help connect your child with forensic evidence or unidentified remains. If a child is not found within 30 days, police will give you a form to fill out so that they can obtain your child’s dental records.

Will there be a search party for my child?

According to DPD’s missing persons policy, officers will deploy a search party if your child is age 10 or younger. If your kid is older than 10, a search may be granted if they have a physical or mental disability, or if “foul play” or “other unusual circumstances” exist.

“We take into consideration all aspects of the child’s behavior, of the circumstances of them leaving, and any information that the parents can lead us to understand what really occurred,” explained Deputy Police Chief Kari Sloan. “And once we look at the totality of the circumstances, we can determine if the child is in any danger or if there’s any reason to believe that there was foul play.”

If a search party is formed, officers will go door to door to homes in your neighborhood and near where your child was last seen, passing out information and asking questions.

Will law enforcement put out an Amber Alert for my child?

The Amber Alert was developed in Texas in 1996 after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped and ultimately murdered. When an Amber Alert is sent out, TV, radio and cellphones may be interrupted with information about a missing child. Across the U.S., criteria for an Amber Alert are as follows:

• Law enforcement believes a minor has been kidnapped and is in “imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.”
• There’s enough information available for the public to actually help find the child, the suspect or both.

Even if your child doesn’t fit the criteria for an Amber Alert, you can ask the police to put out a “be on the lookout” bulletin (known as a BOLO), an internal document to make officers aware of a missing person within the city. You can also ask DPD about involving the FBI in the search for your child.

What should I do if I find my child?

If your child returns home, the police will want to check on the child’s condition. You should take the child to a precinct so police can verify the child’s return and remove them from missing persons systems.

What should you do if your child goes missing? · Outlier Media