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.



Missing Person Photos

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

Joshua Justin Summeries
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Joshua, date, approximate 2013; Demetries Thorpe
Date Missing 08/19/2013
Missing From
Zion, Illinois
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
Black
Date of Birth 03/13/2013 (9)
Age 5 months old
Height and Weight Unknown
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Joshua was last seen in Zion, Illinois on August 19, 2013. He started crying in the early morning hours and his mother, Kisha Summeries, went to quiet him.
Thorpe was located at 6:00 p.m. the following day and taken in for questioning. Two days later, he confessed to the infant's murder.
A photo of Thorpe is posted with this summary. He said he'd suffocated Joshua with his hand while trying to stop his crying. Thorpe said he put the body in a backpack and placed it in a garbage can behind the apartment building. A surveillance camera filmed him removing the backpack from the can and putting it in a dumpster just before the dumpster was emptied by a garbage truck.
Authorities searched Zion's 330-acre landfill on Green Bay Road for four days, but were unable to find Joshua's body. Thorpe was charged with first-degree murder. He ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison with no possibility for parole. Kisha was cooperative with the investigation and no charges were filed against her.
Joshua left behind five siblings. Four were in the custody of the state at the time of his disappearance; the fifth, a boy, was placed in his father's care after Joshua vanished. His body has never been found.
Investigating Agency
Zion Police Department
Other
The Chicago Tribune
The Daily Herald
CBS News
NBC Chicago

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.



Missing Person Photos

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