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
Lauren Gail Andersen
Andersen, date, approximate 1981
Date Missing 11/15/1981
Missing From
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 08/13/1961 (61)
Age 20 years old
Height and Weight 5'4, 115 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A white t-shirt, blue jeans and a short blue silk ski jacket with blue and white trim on the collar and cuffs.
Medical Conditions Andersen was suffering from tonsilitis at the time of her disappearance was taking medication to treat the illness. She left her medicine behind.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Andersen wears eyeglasses. Her nickname is Laurie.
Details of Disappearance Andersen was last seen at her parents' residence in the 4200 block of Vernon Avenue in St. Louis Park, Minnesota on November 15, 1981. An unknown individual picked her up at 6:15 p.m. She left without saying anything to her parents has never been heard from again.
Andersen was a regular patron of the Cardinal Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the time of her disappearance. She left behind personal belongings including her medication, vehicle, clothing and toothbrush. She did take her car keys and checkbook, but she hasn't used her checking account since her disappearance.
Andersen's parents were not initially concerned when she didn't come home that night because she would sometimes spend the night at a friend's house. They reported her missing on November 16, after she missed work at her job at Fabri-Tek Inc.
Andersen maintained a vegetarian diet in 1981. Her interests include motorcycles, yoga, pool and rock music. She had been living on her own for two years, but moved back in with her parents a few weeks before she disappeared. She was planning to move to the Austin, Texas area in April 1982 to live with her sister.
Andersen didn't like office work and was thinking of becoming an auto mechanic or a truck driver. Her family stated she didn't give any indication that there were problems in her life prior to her disappearance, and wasn't dating anyone seriously.
In 2002, police searched the vacant home of one of Andersen's former boyfriends, looking for evidence in connection with her disappearance. No significant evidence was recovered. Her disappearance remains unsolved and is being investigated as a possible homicide.
Investigating Agency
St. Louis Park Police Department
952-924-2618
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Doe Network
The St. Paul Pioneer-Press
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
The Minneapolis Star-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.
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