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
Joseph Mack Maples
Maples, date, approximate 1999
Date Missing 08/11/1999
Missing From
Birmingham, Alabama
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 04/27/1953 (69)
Age 46 years old
Height and Weight 6'0, 175 pounds
Medical Conditions Maples may require medical attention. He may suffer from heart problems.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Maples's nickname is Joe. He has had previous surgery on his shoulder, possibly on the rotator cuff.
Details of Disappearance Maples was last seen in Birmingham, Alabama on August 11, 1999. Before his disappearance, he told the local Humane Society that he had to leave the area and wanted to give them all his possessions and his two dogs. He apparently boarded a plane flight to Dallas, Texas, leaving his vehicle behind at the Birmingham airport. He has never been heard from again.
The circumstances surrounding Maples's disappearance are unclear. His father died when Maples was very young, and his mother and sister had also died prior to his disappearance. He had stated that Birmingham had unhappy associations for him due to his deceased family, and some of his loved ones feel he left of his own accord because of this.
However, Maples's extended family stated it is uncharacteristic of him to be out of touch with them for so long. He was unmarried and worked in real estate at the time of his 1999 disappearance. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Birmingham Police Department
205-933-4113
Other
Alabama Department of Public Safety
The News Courier
The Doe Network
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