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
Vanessa Dawn Smith
Vanessa, date, approximate 1997; Age-progression to age 29 (date, approximate 2010)
Date Missing 05/31/1997
Missing From
Winton, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 12/26/1981 (40)
Age 15 years old
Height and Weight 5'6, 130 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A light blue dress with silver-colored metal buttons, a white belt, and an elastic waist; white hurache sandals with uppers of woven leather straps and flat heels; and a black head cover. Carrying a walking stick.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes. Vanessa has a large birthmark on her right arm which extends from her shoulder to her elbow. She has a fair, freckled complexion and a scar on her left ear. Vanessa has Duane's Syndrome in her right eye; as a result, the third muscle in her retina is paralyzed and the eye drifts toward the inside.
Details of Disappearance Vanessa was last seen leaving her family's residence on Winton Way in rural Winton, California at approximately 7:00 p.m. on May 31, 1997. She was planning to take her usual walk through the neighborhood at the time. She usually went with her mother, but this time she went alone. She has never been heard from again. Her family notified police when she did not return by dark.
Vanessa's walking stick was discovered along the side of Mercedes Avenue in Winton shortly after she failed to return home that evening. The location was along Vanessa's normal route and was approximately 200 yards east of her residence. There was no sign of her at the scene. She left her purse behind; it contained her savings. She also left a cherished watch at her home.
Vanessa does not have a history of running away and is described as being close to her family members. She belonged to a Mennonite church at the time of her disappearance. Authorities do not believe she left of her own accord. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Merced County Sheriff's Department
209-385-7444
209-385-7551
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
America's Most Wanted
Merced County Sheriff's Department
Vanished Children's Alliance
Vanessa D. Smith Has Vanished
California Attorney General's Office
Child CyberSearch
Child Protection Education Of America
The Doe Network
KFSN-TV
The Polly Klaas Foundation
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