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
Shakeima Ann Cabbagestalk
Shakeima, date, approximate 1993; Age-progression to age 34 (date, approximate 2016); Sam Harmon in 2008
Date Missing 07/22/1993
Missing From
Dillon, South Carolina
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 12/29/1982 (39)
Age 10 years old
Height and Weight 3'6, 65 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shakeima has moles near the corner of her mouth and below her neck. She had a double tooth on the upper side of her mouth at the time of her 1993 disappearance.
Details of Disappearance Shakeima was last seen in Dillon, South Carolina on July 22, 1993. Her stepfather, Sam Harmon, was the last person to see her. He left with her to go to the Turning Point Grocery on south First Avenue. Harmon says he left both Shakeima and her brother at the store. She has never been heard from again.
In August 2005, twelve years after Shakeima's disappearance, Harmon was charged with murder, two counts of kidnapping, and criminal sexual conduct with a minor in connection with her . Prosecutors originally sought the death penalty against him, but later stopped pursuing that and sought life in prison instead. They also elected not to pursue the sex charge.
A photograph of Harmon is posted with this summary. In 1992, Shakeima had accused him of touching her inappropriately. The state Department of Social Services investigated her claims, but her story changed several times and there was no evidence to support it, so no charges were filed against her stepfather. Investigators theorized Shakeima's allegations against Harmon gave him the motive to kill her.
Several of Shakeima's relatives testified at Harmon's October 2008 trial. Her uncle said that two weeks before Shakeima disappeared, Harmon had told him about ways he could dispose of a dead body. Prosecutors said Shakeima was very close to her brother and grandmother and would have contacted them if she could have.
There was no physical evidence to indicate she was dead, and Harmon maintained his innocence in her disappearance. He was acquitted of murder, but convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to twelve years in prison. He will become eligible for parole in 2011.
Foul play is suspected in Shakeima's due to the circumstances involved, but several of her relatives believe she is still alive. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Dillon Police Department
843-841-3707
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Florence Morning News
WPDE NewsChannel 15
The South Carolina Morning News
WMBF TV
South Carolina Department of Corrections
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
