Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
Austin William Sparks
Austin, date, approximate 2004
Date Missing 01/04/2004
Missing From
Montgomery Creek, California
Missing Classification Lost/Injured Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 03/03/1988 (34)
Age 15 years old
Height and Weight 5'0, 115 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Brown or blue sweatpants, a black or dark blue sweatshirt, and black and gray Globe skater shoes with distinctive soles.
Medical Conditions Austin suffers from severe emotional problems and had been taking daily psychiatric medications, including anti-depressants, for three years prior to his disappearance. He is not believed to have his medicine with him.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Austin was last seen by his father at their home in Montgomery Creek, California at 7:00 a.m. on January 4, 2004. The medication he was taking gave him problems with sleeping and he woke his father up at this time. His father told him to go back to bed, but Austin left the house instead.
His footprints through the snow show that he walked a mile from his house to the Acorn Cafe and an employee saw him go into the establishment twice. Austin was last seen between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. that day outside the cafe, which is located on Highway 299 in Montgomery Creek. He has never been heard from again. His father reported him missing at noon that same day.
Austin attended a special needs school in Redding, California at the time of his disappearance. His mother died of cancer in 1997, and he lived alone with his father, who is not considered a suspect in his disappearance.
Austin is an only child. He is described as intelligent but shy, withdrawn and easily confused; he may not respond if approached by anyone. He also has difficulty making decisions. Austin's father says the his son's new anti-depressant medication caused him to be more outgoing, talkative and normal in behavior, but that the drug also made him dangerously gullible and trusting.
Austin and his father were going to go on vacation over his school winter break, but inclement weather caused them to cancel their plans and Austin was reportedly very disappointed. He is not thought to have run away from home, however. It is also considered unlikely that he hitchhiked anywhere.
Investigators believe Austin may have tried to go to the Redding Skate Park, which he liked to frequent, but he did not have his skateboard, hacky-sack, or any money with him when he vanished. Austin's sneakers have unusual soles and this made it easy to identify his tracks, which went for over two miles through snow over a foot deep and lead up to the banks of the Pitt River before disappearing.
Investigators are unsure how Austin got to the river; the area is so remote and rugged, it is virtually inaccessible even by law enforcement officials. He had never been to the river before. His father believes he got lost and became disoriented. No sign of Austin or his remains have been found in the water, but because of the circumstances, authorities believe it is likely that he drowned there.
Austin enjoys skateboarding and is a former hacky-sack champion who had played at the state and world levels. His remains unsolved. In May 2004, a bench was placed at the Redding Skate Park and dedicated in his memory.
Investigating Agency
Shasta County Sheriff's Department
530-245-6025
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Redding Record Searchlight
The Monterey Herald
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
