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
James Woodford Guinn
Guinn, date, approximate 1993
Date Missing 09/24/1993
Missing From
Pineville, Louisiana
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Age 48 years old
Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'2, 140 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A lavender- or wine-colored striped shirt with a collar, blue jeans and sneakers. His shirt and pants may have the initials "J.G." on them.
Medical Conditions Guinn is mentally disabled and functions at the level of a five-year-old. He suffers from severe seizures and has so much difficulty walking that he wore a helmet to protect his head from falls. He's also ly blind; he has very poor vision in his left eye and is completely blind in his left eye. Guinn takes medication and he didn't have it with him at the time of his disappearance; he would be unable to survive for more than a few days without it.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair. Guinn wears thick eyeglasses and his two upper front teeth are missing. He walks with a severe limp and often falls.
Details of Disappearance Guinn was last seen at Pinecrest State School, the state residential facility for mentally disabled individuals where he lived in Pineville, Louisiana, on September 24, 1993. (The facility's name has since been changed to Pinecrest Developmental Center.) He was last seen standing on the patio of his cottage, smoking his pipe, at 4:45 p.m.
He was reported missing about fifteen minutes later after he failed to show up for dinner. He has never been heard from again and an extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts.
Guinn had been living at Pinecrest State School for almost thirty years by the time he went missing and had no record of absconding. His cottage was about a mile from the front entrance, which was unmanned at the time of his disappearance and was the only public access route onto the fenced grounds.
He enjoys being around groups of people. He had relatives living in Bossier City at the time of his disappearance, and had also spent time in a mental health facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1995, Guinn's mother sued Pinecrest, alleging their security measures were lacking and her son was inadequately supervised. The institution's treatment plan had said he required "constant supervision", meaning staff needed to keep him in sight or know where he was at all times. Five months before he disappeared, this was downgraded to "close supervision", meaning staff needed to check on him at least every fifteen minutes.
Witnesses at the trial suggested it was unlikely Guinn ran away and theorized he was abducted from the grounds and murdered. A judge ruled in Guinn's mother's favor and she was awarded $300,000 in damages. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Pineville Police Department
318-442-6603
Other
Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People
The Alexandria Town Talk
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
