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

Shemika Keyanta Cosey









Shemika, date, approximate 2008; Age-progression to age 26 (date, approximate 2018)
Date Missing 12/29/2008
Missing From
Berkeley, Missouri
Missing Classification Endangered Runaway
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 10/01/1992 (30)
Age 16 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 135 - 160 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A black long-sleeved shirt, a tan Old Navy jacket and blue jeans.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shemika's nickname is Mika. Her ears are pierced and she wears eyeglasses.
Details of Disappearance Shemika disappeared from Berkeley, Missouri between 1:30 and 8:30 a.m. on December 29, 2008. She was last seen at her aunt's home in the 6000 block of Napier. That night she left the house and came back inside several times. When her family woke up in the morning, she was gone. Shemika's clothes, overnight bag and most of her other belongings were inside the residence; she took only her purse and jacket. She didn't have a cellular phone. The front door was unlocked, and there were no indications of foul play.
Authorities believe she left of her own accord. Shemika's mother also thinks her daughter left voluntarily that night, but doesn't believe she would voluntarily stayed gone for as long as she has. Prior to her disappearance, her mother had caught her with a false identification card which she used to get into local nightclubs. Her mother had feared she was smoking marijuana, and she once seen her getting into a dark-colored vehicle with a much older man. The police have not identified this man but would like to interview him, as they think he could have useful information.
Years after Shemika's disappearance, her mother found a notebook which included written messages her daughter had passed to a school friend. A few months before she went missing, she had written about a boyfriend and that she might be pregnant. The police interviewed the boyfriend, but he didn't provide any helpful information. Shemika's friends didn't provide much information either.
Shemika may still be in the local area. She has been known to frequent East St. Louis, Illinois. Her mother fears she became a victim of sex trafficking, but little evidence is available as to her fate. Some agencies give the date of her disappearance as December 28 or December 30.
Investigating Agency
Berkeley Police Department
314-524-3311
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Polly Klaas Foundation
The St. Louis American
KMOX News
KSDK St. Louis
NamUs
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Fox 2 St. Louis
ABC 11
Good Morning America
Investigation Discovery

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