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
Patrece Lashelle Alston
Alston, date, approximate 1998; Lucious Boyd
Date Missing 06/23/1998
Missing From
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 06/06/1979 (43)
Age 19 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 123 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Green Mazda 62
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Alston's nickname is Trece. She has a tattoo on her abdomen and a tattoo on her right shoulder. Some agencies spell her name "Patrace."
Details of Disappearance Alston was last seen in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 23, 1998. She got into a green Mazda 62 with Lucious Boyd, who sat in the passenger seat and let Alston drive. The car belonged to Boyd's girlfriend.
Boyd and Alston were planning to go to Winter Haven, Florida, 200 miles away. Alston stated she planned to return the same day, and she did not pack any clothes or personal belongings. Boyd returned several days later, but Alston was not with him and she has never been heard from again. Boyd said she met two other men on the trip, and went away with them.
Boyd was a known crack cocaine addict with violent tendencies in the 1990s. A photograph of him is posted with this summary. He was charged in the 1993 death of a male acquaintance, but pleaded self defense and was acquitted. He was also charged with and acquitted of rape twice.
Boyd convicted of the 1998 murder of Dawnia DaCosta after Alston's disappearance, and sentenced to die. He is presently incarcerated on Florida's death row. He is a suspected serial killer and authorities believe he may be involved in as many as ten unsolved disappearances and murders, including the 1999 disappearance of Danielle Zacot. He has not been charged in any other disappearances or deaths, however.
Alston and Boyd knew one another and socialized occasionally, but did not date. Alston is a high school dropout, lived with her sister and helped care for her sister's children in 1998. She is described as an outgoing young woman. Her disappearance remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Investigating Agency
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
954-761-5700
Other
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Broward-Palm Beach News Times
The Miami Herald
Florida Department of Corrections
NamUs
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