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
Madeline Benitez
Benitez, date, approximate 2011
Date Missing 10/29/2011
Missing From
Santa Cruz, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 08/22/1947 (75)
Age 64 years old
Height and Weight 5'4 - 5'6, 200 pounds
Medical Conditions Benitez has a history of mental illness. She was apparently not taking her medication at the time of her disappearance.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Benitez's ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Benitez was last seen in Santa Cruz, California on October 29, 2011. She has never been heard from again. She was reported missing on November 8, nine days after the last time she showed up for work. She worked at a Burger King restaurant in Capitola, California once a week, and attended church every Sunday.
When a friend checked Benitez's apartment in the 1600 block of Soquel Avenue, nothing was out of place or missing. Benitez marked off each day on her calendar; the last mark had been on October 29, the day she was last seen by coworkers.
Authorities believe she may be with a local homeless man known only as Randy; he often stays in Capitola. He's described as Caucasian, about 5'8 with a slender build and a brown and gray beard. He was in his fifties in 2011.
The circumstances of Benitez's disappearance are unclear. She is originally from New York City. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Santa Cruz Police Department
831-420-5870
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Santa Cruz Sentinel
The San Jose Mercury 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