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

Natasha Marie Shanes







Natasha, date, approximate 1985; Age-progression to age 39 (date, approximate 2017)
Date Missing 05/08/1985
Missing From
Jackson, Michigan
Missing Classification Non-Family Abduction
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 01/23/1979 (43)
Age 6 years old
Height and Weight 4'0, 57 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A large blue and white shirt with a safety pin on it, and blue jeans or a denim skirt.
Medical Conditions Natasha suffers from epilepsy and a mild intellectual disability; she also has scoliosis. She has the mental age of a four-year-old at the time of her disappearance and needs to take the medication Depakote to prevent seizures; if she doesn't take it, she may lapse into a coma and die. She is allergic to some other types of epilepsy medication.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown/blonde hair, brown eyes. Natasha has a small scar on her forehead, a dog bite scar on her cheek, and a strawberry birthmark on the back of her neck at her hairline. She has fallen arches, or flat feet, and wears special shoes to correct the issue. Her ears are pierced. Natasha's nicknames are Tasha and Tashia. At the time of her disappearance, her hair was permed.
Details of Disappearance Natasha was last seen asleep on the sofa in the living room of her family's home in the 900 block of Maple Avenue in Jackson, Michigan. Her mother awoke in the early morning hours of May 8, 1985 to the sound of a car door slamming outside. She fell back asleep and awoke again at 6:00 a.m.
Natasha's mother discovered that her daughter was missing from their residence at that time. One of the doors to their house was wide open and there was no trace of Natasha. She has never been heard from again. It is believed she either wandered away or was abducted between the hours of 1:30 and 6:00 a.m.
Natasha's mother's live-in boyfriend, Robert F. Forbes, was found shot to death near his own mother's house two days after Natasha disappeared. His death was ruled a suicide, but there is some suspicion that he was murdered. Forbes was a drug dealer and had served a prison sentence for trafficking heroin. Authorities do not believe his crimes or his death are necessarily related to Natasha's , however.
At the time of Natasha's disappearance, she attended a special education school for children with disabilities. She cried often and had mood swings, and she enjoyed playing with makeup, singing, and playing with purses and shoes.
There have been no substantial leads in her and an extensive search of the neighborhood turned up no sign of her. She is believed to be deceased. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Jackson Police Department
517-768-8727
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Child Protection Education of America
Operation Lookout
California Attorney General's Office
America's Most Wanted
The Jackson Citizen Patriot
NamUs
The Green Bay Press-Gazette
The Lansing State Journal
The Marshfield News-Herald
The Fort Myers News-Press
The Fond Du Lac Commonwealth Reporter
The Morning Call
The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix

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