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 Case Updates with Photos

Gail Lorraine Joiner
missing 2023 updates
Gail, date, approximate 1972; Gerald Stano in 1981
Date Missing 09/22/1972
Missing From
Thonotosassa, Florida
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 07/22/1959 (63)
Age 13 years old
Height and Weight 5'0, 100 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A navy blue and white striped pullover shirt, Levi's jeans and no shoes.
Associated Vehicle(s) White car
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde/brown hair, brown eyes. Gail has a scar on her cheek. She has facial freckles.
Details of Disappearance Gail was last seen in her hometown of Thonotosassa, Florida on September 22, 1972. She came home from school, ate a sandwich, then left home to walk her pet raccoon, Bandit, on a leash. Witnesses saw her standing near a white car parked on the edge of a wooded area, but nobody saw her get in the vehicle.
Gail has never been heard from again. Bandit never returned to the house either. Gail's parents thought they could identify the raccoon by a burn on its foot and a scrape on it nose. The police brought them 17 raccoon carcasses, but they didn't recognize any of them.
Gail's parents stated they did not believe their daughter had left of her own free will, because she was close to her older brother and wasn't having trouble at home. They theorized she had been abducted, and stated someone could have gained her trust by taking an interest in Bandit, whom she enjoyed showing to people.
Three people have confessed to Gail's murder but none of the accounts have been verified. The serial killer Gerald Stano was one of the those who claimed to have caused her death; he confessed to the murders of 41 women, including Susan Basile, whose body was never found. A photograph of Stano is posted with this summary. He was executed in 1998.
Gail moved to Florida from Romulus, Michigan a few months before her disappearance, and enrolled in Greco Junior High School three weeks before she vanished. She has six siblings. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
813-247-8000
Other
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Porchlight International for the Missing and Unidentified
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Crime Library
Florida Today
The Tampa Tribune

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 Case Updates with Photos