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
Rene Layja
Layja, date, approximate 1994; Age progressions to an unknown age
Date Missing 04/22/1994
Missing From
Mesa, Arizona
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 03/09/1961 (61)
Age 33 years old
Height and Weight 6'3, 240 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue t-shirt, gray pants and black shoes.
Medical Conditions Layja is mentally disabled.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic male. Black hair, brown eyes. Layja has a gap between his upper front teeth. He is a Mexican citizen and speaks Spanish.
Details of Disappearance Layja left his home in Mexico and arrived in Mesa, Arizona to visit his mother's home on April 21, 1994. He was in the United States on a medical visa so he could get medical testing done.
The day after he arrived at his mother's, he told her he was going for a walk. He was not familiar with the neighborhood. When he did not return, his mother reported him missing at 7:40 p.m.
At 3:00 a.m. on April 23, Layja knocked on a stranger's door in Gilbert, Arizona. He was dehydrated and confused at the time. The person called the police, who took him to Maricopa County Hospital for treatment. They didn't realize Layja was listed as a missing person in Mesa.
Layja told the staff at the hospital that he lived in Sonora, Mexico. A social worker bought him a Greyhound bus ticket and dropped him off at the station. The bus driver stated Layja got out at Nogales, Arizona. He has never been heard from again.
Layja's mother is now deceased. His disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Mesa Police Department
480-644-2100
480-644-2211
Other
NamUs
Mesa Police Department
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