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
Ruth Marie Severance
Ruth, date, approximate 1982
Date Missing 12/11/1982
Missing From
Houston, Texas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Age 22 years old
Height and Weight 4'10 - 4'11, 110 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A green and white jacket, a navy blue shirt and blue jeans.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes. Ruth's maiden name is Jones. Her nickname is Ruthie.
Details of Disappearance Ruth was last seen in Houston, Texas on December 11, 1982. She left work with her ex-husband, Pete Severance, in order to go Christmas shopping for their son. They went to the Swiss Colony Store at Memorial City Mall, then left at approximately 7:00 p.m.
According to Pete, they were driving to a Target store two miles away when they began arguing. Pete let Ruth out of the car. She has never been heard from again. Her roommate reported her missing the next morning.
When Pete came home from the shopping trip, he had a black eye and scratches all over his face. Interviewed by the police on December 13, he said Ruth had caused the injuries during their fight. He agreed to take a polygraph, but the day before it was scheduled he changed his mind.
He and Ruth had begun dating each other when she was 14 and he was 23. Her parents didn't approve of the relationship due to the age difference, so they ran away to be together. Their son was born in 1976 and the couple married in 1979, but their relationship was troubled and they divorced in 1981.
Pete remarried in the summer of 1982, and Ruth was engaged at the time of her disappearance. She had custody of their son and was struggling financially; she'd been evicted from her apartment from non-payment of rent and had moved in with a friend.
It's uncharacteristic of Ruth to leave without warning, and her family doesn't believe she would have abandoned her son or missed his upcoming birthday. They stated she was not an independent person and would have confided in others if she planned to walk out of her life. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.
Investigating Agency
Houston Police Department
713-308-3600
Other
NamUs
The Lexington Dispatch
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
