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
James Richard Howell
James, date, approximate 1969; Age-progression to age 50 (date, approximate 2009)
Date Missing 05/28/1969
Missing From
Sterling, Illinois
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 10/28/1959 (62)
Age 9 years old
Height and Weight 4'5, 79 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A white t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.
Medical Conditions James is hyperactive and takes mild tranquilizers to control his condition.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. James's nickname is Jimmy.
Details of Disappearance James was last seen playing with his sister, outside of their family's home in the 1300 block of west 13th Street in Sterling, Illinois on May 28, 1969. They were going to build a cage for James's birds, and his sister went inside for tools.
When she returned, the boards James was going to use to make the birdcage were scattered along the street and James had vanished. A neighbor reported his disappearance to police at approximately 10:35 p.m. that same day, after his parents spent the whole day searching for him.
James had a somewhat chaotic childhood. He has two brothers and one sister. He and his siblings were sent to an orphanage after their parents divorced in the early 1960s. Two of the Howell children were later sent to live with an aunt, and James and one of his brothers went to a foster home.
All the children had gone to live with their mother and stepfather by 1968. James's mother stated she did not believe he would have run away from home. He liked animals in 1969, and he was afraid of bugs and the dark. He was in the third grade at school.
There were several reported sightings of James after his disappearance, but he was never found. Searchers looked in gravel pits and water areas, particularly Elkhorn Creek and Rock River. His family members all took polygraph exams and were cleared of suspicion in his disappearance in 1998.
James's remains unsolved; the circumstances surrounding his disappearance are unclear.
Investigating Agency
Whiteside County Sheriff's Office
815-772-4044
Other
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
The Doe Network
Still Looking For You James
Sauk Valley News
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