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

Sean P. Friel

Friel, date, approximate 2004
Date Missing 03/20/2004
Missing From
Solana Beach, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 04/22/1975 (47)
Age 28 years old
Height and Weight 5'9 - 5'10, 175 - 185 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A size extra-large t-shirt, jeans, and deck shoes.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Friel normally wears eyeglasses, but he left them behind when he vanished.
Details of Disappearance Friel was last seen at a Marriott hotel in Solana Beach, California on March 20, 2004. He has never been heard from again.
Friel's truck was discovered on March 30; it had been abandoned on the Coast Highway, just outside the entrance to the Torrey Pines State Reserve. It received three parking tickets before being impounded. The vehicle contained his passport, luggage, computer and cellular phone.
On April 11, searchers at the Torrey Pines State Reserve found a pair of neatly placed size 11 Saucony's shoes believed to be Seans in the park. There were socks tucked into the shoes and Seans glasses were also found. The items were found above Table Rock, at the edge of a hundred-foot cliff overlooking the beach. Although there had been rain on April 2, the glasses were not water-spotted.
Some time after Friel's belongings were found at the park, his credit cards were used in Brazil. Police have not been able to determine who used the cards.
Friel had been planning to move to Los Angeles at the time of his disappearance and start a new job as a computer programmer. He is described as a mild-mannered and low-key man who does not usually get angry. He is an avid hiker and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.
He attended several Zen and Buddhist retreats prior to vanishing, and some of his loved ones theorized he staged his 2004 disappearance in order to simplify his life. His remains unsolved.
Some agencies state that Friel disappeared from San Diego, California on March 16. That city's police are investigating his disappearance.
Investigating Agency
San Diego Police Department
619-531-2844
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Del Mar Times

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