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

Lauralyn Palmer
Palmer, date, approximate 2018
Date Missing 04/20/2018
Missing From
Fall River Mills, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 04/09/1947 (75)
Age 71 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 138 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A t-shirt, blue jeans, sneakers and earrings.
Medical Conditions According to loved ones, Palmer was exhibiting early signs of dementia at the time of her disappearance.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Palmer's ears are pierced, she has an appendectomy scar on her abdomen and she may wear eyeglasses. Her nickname is Lyn, and she may spell her name "Layralyn" or use her maiden name, Crotwell, or the last name Story. Her hair was shoulder-length at the time of her disappearance. She wears eyeglasses with thick lenses.
Details of Disappearance Palmer was last seen in Fall River Mills, California at 4:30 p.m. on April 20, 2018. She took an unleashed dog for a walk in the woods southeast of her home, which was in the 23000 block of Cassel Fall River Road. She left all her belongings behind, including her phone, wallet and purse, but may have been carrying a can of lite beer and may have had had her eyeglasses.
Palmer was expected to be gone about fifteen minutes, but she never returned and has never been heard from again. Her husband of twenty years began looking for her after twenty-five minutes, started calling the neighbors after forty-five minutes to ask if they'd seen her, and notified the police after two hours.
The dog is described as a gray, black and white female Australian Cattle Dog (also known as a Blue Heeler) named Lucy. Lucy was Palmer's stepdaughter's dog. Palmer's stepdaughter lived twenty miles away, and Palmer and her husband were taking care of the dog for a few days.
Lucy returned, uninjured and in good health but alone, four days after Palmer's disappearance. When offered food and water, the dog drank but didn't eat, suggesting that she had been fed while she was away.
A month after Palmer's disappearance, investigators stated she was missing under suspicious circumstances. She is a retired nurse who had worked at the local hospital and hospice, and is described as a very social, active person who volunteered at a thrift store and regularly went bowling with friends. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Shasta County Sheriff's Department
530-245-6025
Other
California Attorney General's Office
NamUs
KRCR 7
The Redding Record-Searchlight
Secret Witness of Shasta County
NBC News
Facebook Page for Lauralyn Palmer