What To Do If Your Child Goes Missing

Odds are that your child is not going to go missing. However, in this day and age, you can never be too prepared. Though uncommon, missing children cases happen every day. Being prepared can be the difference in life and death for your child! The first thing that you should do is contact the police. The speed you do this makes a huge difference in the success of the search. There should be no hesitation or delay in alerting the authorities. The first twenty four hours of the search for a missing child are the most important because the less time that has passed, the closer to the original location they are going to be. Often times in missing child cases, the first 24 hours are when the child gets located, so if something happens to your kid, act as soon as possible Give them every possible detail about their disappearance that you can. Where you last saw them, what they are wearing, who they could have been with are all very important in the search for your child. Not only the recent information, but make sure to have any documents you might need to show the police handy. All of this should be given to the authorities when you call as well as when they arrive. You should also do a thorough search of your house and property. Especially small kids may have gotten stuck somewhere. Check anywhere that a child could fit such as under beds, in closets,or behind large objects. If your property is large, scour the entire property to make sure that they are not outside. When communicating with the local authorities, make sure to ask if an AMBER alert has been considered. Also ask if a neighborhood or city wide canvass can be conducted. Request that anything that can be done to spread the word be done. Remember that the law requires officers to enter a missing child’s information into the National Crime Information Center Missing Person File within two hours of notification of a missing child. When a primary investigator has been assigned to your case, make sure that you keep their contact information with you at all times. Reporting your child to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is important as well. Overall, the thing to remember when you have a missing child is to keep it in the public eye. Try to get on the news, host public events, make sure that everybody who lives anywhere near you is aware. The more people that know what is going on, the larger the chance that your child gets found safely.