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
Melissa Hinako Braden
Melissa, date, approximate 2006; Age-progression to age 14 (date, approximate 2019); Ryoko Uchiyama
Date Missing 03/16/2006
Missing From
Los Angeles, California
Missing Classification Family Abduction
Sex Female
Race
Asian, Biracial, White
Date of Birth 04/06/2005 (17)
Age 11 months old
Height and Weight 2'8, 26 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (Asian/Caucasian) female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Melissa has a dark-colored birthmark on her right shoulder, a small reddish birthmark on the back of her neck inside the hairline, and a dark-colored birthmark on her lower back. She may go by her middle name, Hinako, or the nickname Hina. She is of Japanese descent and may use the last name Uchiyama.
Details of Disappearance Melissa was last seen in Los Angeles, California on March 16, 2006. She was abducted by her non-custodial mother, Ryoko Uchiyama. A felony warrant for child custody deprivation was issued for her on on March 27, 2006, and an FBI warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued for her on May 15, 2006.
Uchiyama and Melissa's father, Patrick Braden, lived together but never married. Patrick stated that when Melissa was 11 months old, Uchiyama abruptly announced she was moving back to her native Japan and taking the child with her. Patrick did not want to be separated from his daughter and went to family court to dispute the move. Uchiyama was ordered to remain within the United States and to surrender her passport. Instead she fled to Japan with Melissa.
A photo of Uchiyama is posted with this summary. Her date of birth is October 15, 1973, making her 32 years old at the time of Melissa's abduction. She's described as Asian, 5'7 and 105 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.Uchiyama was born in Japan and is a Japanese citizen. She is believed to have had training as a kindergarten schoolteacher. She enjoys antique shopping. Uchiyama may use the last name Lin or the first name Ayoko. She has a scar on her abdomen.
Patrick believes his daughter and Uchiyama may be living in Japan with Uchiyama's parents, but Melissa's exact whereabouts are unknown and her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
213-974-3607
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Los Angeles, California Office
310-477-6565
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Polly Klaas Foundation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Children's Rights Network Japan
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