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

Janice K. Potts
Potts, date, approximate 1981
Date Missing 08/28/1981
Missing From
Harrison, Arkansas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Age 40 years old
Height and Weight 5'7, 110 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A dress.
Medical Conditions Potts was four months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Black hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Potts was last seen in Harrison, Arkansas on August 28, 1981. She was divorced, worked the night shift and lived with her three sons. Her middle son, age eighteen, had left a pair of football pants at home for his mother to sew knee pads in. Her son came home at noon and saw that his pants were ready and his mother was in bed. He took the pants and returned to school.
After school, Potts's son returned home and his mother was gone. The house was unlocked, the utility light was turned on, there were beans simmering in the slow cooker, and the clothes iron was sitting out and turned on.
There was a note out that Potts had left on the ironing board for her youngest son. The note said she had gone to a department store, that the beans were ready, and that she should be home when he got home from school.
Potts's son went to a football game a short time later. When he was driving through town after the game that night, his older brother flagged him down and said Potts hadn't shown up for work. They began looking for her and didn't find her, but they did find her car in the mall parking lot. Her purse and the sweater she normally wore were inside the car, but her keys and pocketbook were missing.
Potts has never been heard from again. She was a member of a Pentecostal church at the time of her disappearance. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Harrison Police Department
870-741-5463
Other
NamUs
The Harrison Daily Times
Never Forgotten: Arkansas Takes Action