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
Victoria Anne Cotton
Cotton, date, approximate 2006
Date Missing 07/15/2006
Missing From
Goleta, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 12/07/1955 (66)
Age 50 years old
Height and Weight 5'5 - 5'7, 115 - 145 pounds
Medical Conditions Cotton suffered from a near-fatal of bacterial meningitis in 1986 and developed a brain abscess. She underwent several brain surgeries to correct the problem, but it left her disabled. She has significant problems with short-term memory as well as other cognitive issues, and she sometimes loses her balance while walking. Cotton's intelligence is not impaired and she is able to live independently, but she is considered to be at risk because of her condition.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Cotton's nickname is Vicky (sometimes spelled "Vickie"). She wears eyeglasses with plastic frames. She has a small mole on the upper left corner of her mouth and a scar on her hip from hip replacement surgery.
Details of Disappearance Cotton was last seen in the morning hours of July 15, 2006. She left her residence on foot in the vicinity of the 7400 block of San Carpino Avenue in Goleta, California and boarded a bus en route to the Farmer's Market in Santa Barbara, California.
Witness reports are conflicted as to where exactly Cotton was last seen, but it may have been in downtown Goleta at Nectarine and Hollister, where she stopped at a 7-11 store to get a paper. She has never been heard from again.
Cotton has gone missing in the past, but she always returned within a day. She was carrying very little money with her when she disappeared in July 2006 and her loved ones do not believe she left of her own accord.
Cotton has a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in mechanical engineering and has previously worked in a laboratory; her speciality was advanced infrared science. She was unable to return to her work after her meningitis episode in 1986.
She does not drive; she walks or utilizes public transportation instead. Cotton frequents community centers, markets, libraries and colleges in the Goleta and Santa Barbara areas. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department
805-681-4150
Other
NamUs
Help Find Vickie
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department
California Attorney General's Office
North American Missing Persons Network
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