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
Mary Ann Ruth Switalski
Mary Ann, date, approximate 1963; Age-progression to age 69 (date, approximate 2015)
Date Missing 07/15/1963
Missing From
Chicago, Illinois
Missing Classification Endangered Runaway
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/14/1946 (76)
Age 16 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 102 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A black sleeveless blouse, white shorts and straw sandals.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes.
Details of Disappearance Mary Ann was last seen in Chicago, Illinois at 10:15 p.m. on July 15, 1963. She attended a carnival with friends at St. Priscilla's Catholic Church that evening. Her family never saw her again.
Her parents received a letter from her two days after her disappearance, however; Mary Ann wrote that she was fine and would be sending them some money soon. She said she was "experiencing a strange but educational experience."
She wouldn't tell where she was because she didn't want anyone to "interfere," and she added she might never see her parents or friends again, but she promised to call them. The letter was postmarked Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where she had often gone shopping with her family.
Mary Ann never got in touch with her family again. Her parents didn't know why she ran away and weren't aware of any problems in her life. She was a good student who had just completed her junior year at Notre Dame High School, and she had put a deposit down for her senior yearbook and class ring. She had a job at a neighborhood store and also earned money babysitting. She lived with her parents and younger sister in the 6200 block of west Cornelia Avenue.
It has been established that, following her disappearance, Mary Ann joined an organization that sold magazines door-to-door. It was en route to California at the time.
When questioned, the couple who ran the group admitted they had hired her, but gave conflicting statements as to what happened afterward that. The wife said Mary Ann had left the group sometime earlier; the husband claimed she had never left Chicago at all.
Mary Ann's disappearance remains unsolved. There's been no indication of her whereabouts since 1963.
Investigating Agency
Chicago Police Department
312-744-8261
Other
The Doe Network
The Kingsport News
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NamUs
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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