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
Dean Merlin Lewis
Lewis, date, approximate 2003; Lewis's van
Date Missing 09/25/2003
Missing From
Hamlin Beach State Park, New York
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 02/18/1961 (61)
Age 42 years old
Height and Weight 6'1, 175 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) 1987 Volkswagen van (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Lewis wore his hair in a ponytail when he was last seen. He wears eyeglasses.
Details of Disappearance Lewis was last seen on September 25, 2003, entering Hamlin Beach State Park in New York, driving his 1987 Volkswagen van. A photograph of the van is posted with this summary. Lewis, who is from San Francisco, California, was traveling the east coast at the time of his disappearance. He stayed in campgrounds in state parks. He has never been heard from again.
On September 29, his van was found abandoned at Hamlin Beach State Park; the park authorities contacted police and reported Lewis's disappearance at this time.
Lewis enjoys doing extensive traveling and has lived in his van, which has a kitchen and sleeping area, for months at a time. He relies on a trust fund to support himself. His family says he kept to himself but it is uncharacteristic for him not to contact them for this long a time. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
New York State Police
585-279-0144
Other
New York State Police
The Child Seek Network
NamUs
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