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 Case Updates with Photos

Brenda Cecilia Crowley



Brenda, date, approximate 1980; Brenda, date, approximate 1978
Date Missing 02/01/1980
Missing From
Staten Island, New York
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 10/05/1963 (59)
Age 16 years old
Height and Weight 5'4 - 5'6, 110 - 130 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark blonde hair, blue/green eyes. Brenda's eyes may appear to be hazel. Her teeth are crowded. Brenda has a small scar on her nose. One of her arms was fractured during her childhood. She may wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct strabismus (cross-eye). Her blood type is believed to be O positive, but it could also be A positive or negative. She may use the first name Colleen or the last names Lee and/or Star.
Details of Disappearance Brenda resided with her mother in the 100 block of Harbor Road in Mariners Harbor in New York City borough of Staten Island in 1980. She was last seen sometime during February or March of that year. Brenda has never been heard from again.
Her mother claimed she had filed a missing persons report with law enforcement, but she had not actually done so. Brenda's sister eventually filed a report in 1994. Brenda's mother was strangled to death by a male acquaintance in 1981, a year after her daughter disappeared. Their home burned down sometime after 1980.
Brenda's home life was troubled. She had seven siblings, all of whom eventually ran away from home, and the family moved frequently between various residences on Staten Island. Her sister stated their mother and stepfather were both alcoholics and their father was incarcerated in 1980.
Brenda had been a special education student at Curtis High School, but stopped attending and was expelled as AWOL (absent without leave) in February 1980. There's an outstanding PINS (person in need of supervision) warrant for her in family court.
It's possible that Brenda may have been placed in foster care or in a group home after her disappearance as the result of alleged abuse. However, in 2008, one of her family members approached police and said Brenda had been murdered and her body was buried in the backyard of a house in East Islip on Long Island. Investigators dug up the backyard, but found only dog bones.
Brenda's remains unsolved. She was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
Investigating Agency
New York Police Department
800-577-8477
Other
The Missing Persons Bureau
The Crowley Family
The Doe Network
The Staten Island Advance

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 Case Updates with Photos