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 Photos
Reachelle Marie Smith
Reachelle, date, approximate 2006; Age-progression to age 18 (date, approximate 2020); Leigh Cowen
Date Missing 05/16/2006
Missing From
Minot, North Dakota
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/10/2002 (20)
Age 3 years old
Height and Weight 3'4, 40 pounds
Medical Conditions Reachelle suffers from asthma and may be in need of medical attention.
Associated Vehicle(s) Teal 1995 Ford van with North Dakota license plates numbered HAY 548 (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Reachelle's nickname is Peanut.
Details of Disappearance Reachelle was last seen by her aunt and guardian, Stephanie Smith, at 10:30 p.m. on May 16, 2006. Reachelle was asleep on the couch at the time. When Stephanie woke up the next morning, the child was gone. Her roommate, Leigh Cowen, stated his mother had picked up Reachelle and would be keeping her for a few days.
A photograph of Cowen is posted with this summary. He was very close to Reachelle and claimed to be her father, although he wasn't related to her. Stephanie believed his story, but she became concerned as days passed with no word from either Reachelle or Cowen's mother.
On May 22, Cowen stole Stephanie's teal 1995 Ford van with North Dakota license plates numbered HAY 548 and disappeared. Stephanie called Cowen's mother at this time and discovered that she did not have Reachelle and had no idea where the child was. Stephanie then reported her niece as a missing child, and Cowen became the prime suspect in her disappearance.
It was thought that he may have taken Reachelle to Kansas where his family lives, but this theory was disproved when the stolen van was located in the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge on May 23. Cowen's body was inside; he had died by suicide, by poisoning himself with carbon monoxide.
An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of Reachelle, but police did find a large red cooler her family had owned. Inside the cooler was ammonia, rags, and a "substantial" amount of Reachelle's blood, indicating she'd suffered a serious injury. The cooler had disappeared at about the same time Reachelle did.
In 2021, fifteen years after Reachelle's disappearance, authorities stated there was "compelling" and "overwhelming" evidence that Cowen had murdered her, and that "there is no other explanation" for her disappearance that's plausible. Her body has never been recovered, however, and her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Minot Police Department
701-852-0111
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Federal Bureau of Investigation
America's Most Wanted
City of Minot
Bella Online
KX Net
The Crime Library
Court TV
The Vanished and Missing
Let's Find Them
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 Photos
