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
Sheila Cooks
Cooks, date, approximate 1979
Date Missing 05/17/1979
Missing From
Austin, Texas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 08/14/1960 (62)
Age 18 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 95 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A white shirt and blue jeans.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Cooks's ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Cooks was last seen in Austin, Texas on May 16, 1979. She called her sister at lunchtime and asked for a ride because she had an appointment with her probation officer. Her sister was unable to give her a ride. She would normally walk to the probation meetings with her brothers, but that day she decided to walk there alone.
Cooks's mother was cooking a meal at the time, and it happened to be Cooks's favorite food. Her mother tried to get her to eat before she left the house, but Cooks refused. She said, however, that she would eat when she got back and she was looking forward to it. She left her mother's home in the 1100 block of San Bernard and started the two-and-a-half-mile trip to the probation office in the 1800 block of east 38th Street. She did make it to her appointment, but never arrived home and has never been heard from again.
According to Cooks's sister, she would be unlikely to go away with a stranger. Her sister believes she is dead and was possibly harmed by someone she knew. Cooks is one of ten children. Her parents are now deceased. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Austin Police Department
512-974-5210
Other
Texas Department of Public Safety
NamUs
Fox 7 Austin
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