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

Shantina Marie Smiley











Smiley, date, approximate 2010; Azriel Carver; Smiley on the night of her disappearance
Date Missing 03/13/2010
Missing From
Olympia, Washington
Missing Classification Lost/Injured Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/06/1980 (42)
Age 29 years old
Height and Weight 5'9, 144 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Jeans and a red or pink hooded sweatshirt with a kangaroo pocket and the numbers 4 and 7 in white on the front. A photo of Smiley in those clothes is posted below this summary.
Medical Conditions Smiley is an alcoholic. She had been in recovery for years prior to her disappearance, but had recently relapsed. She was also taking prescription medication for anxiety.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Smiley's nickname is Kat. She has numerous tattoos, including a pair of lightning bolts on her back, a tattoo on her neck and a tattoo on her wrist. She wears eyeglasses and her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Smiley disappeared with her eight-year-old son, Azriel Carver. A photo of Azriel is posted below this summary. They were last seen in Olympia, Washington on March 13, 2010, en route from Silverdale to Castle Rock, Washington to visit relatives.
They became lost on the way and Smiley stopped at a private house at 10:00 p.m. to ask for directions and use the phone. This was the last time anyone saw or heard from them. They never arrived in Castle Rock.
On March 14, Smiley's van was found partially submerged in water on a remote beach on the Puget Sound, north of Olympia. The vehicle's doors were open and her wallet, credit cards, identification and keys were inside it, but her purse was missing. Some items belonging to Smiley and Azriel washed onshore in the same vicinity over the next few days.
On March 18, Azriel's body washed up on the beach at the south end of Fox Island near Gig Harbor, Washington, sixteen nautical miles from where the van had been. His death was ruled an accidental drowning.
Azriel was a second-grader at Vinland Elementary School at the time of his death. Smiley had recently graduated from Olympic College and planned to become a medical billing specialist. She was engaged to be married and was looking forward to a new life with her fiance.
She had faced several challenges prior to her disappearance; she had been in trouble with the law and was investigated several times by child protection services because of her alcohol abuse problem.
Twice, Smiley voluntarily gave her son over to the care of relatives while she went through alcohol treatment. However, her loved ones describe her as a devoted mother and stated she had gotten her life together by the time of her disappearance and was stable and happy. Investigators believe she probably drowned.
Investigating Agency
Thurston County Sheriffs Office
360-786-5534
Other
The Olympian
Washington State Missing Persons Search
The Kitsap Sun
KGW 8
CBS News

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