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
Shawn White
Shawn, date, approximate 2002; Age-progression to age 18 (date, approximate 2020); Thurman White
Date Missing 12/08/2002
Missing From
Wilmington, Delaware
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
Black
Date of Birth 11/06/2002 (19)
Age 1 month old
Height and Weight 1'8, 10 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Green and white pajamas and a gray Mickey Mouse snowsuit.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Shawn has thick eyebrows and long eyelashes. Some agencies spell his name "Sean."
Details of Disappearance Shawn was last seen on December 8, 2002 in Wilmington, Delaware. He had been on a weekend visitation with his father, Thurman R. White (referred to in some accounts as "Truman"). A photograph of Thurman is posted with this summary.
On December 9, Thurman went to the apartment of Shawn's mother, Tonya Graham (referred to in some accounts as "Tania"), in the 900 block of Vandever Avenue. He did not have the baby. He told her a woman would come by later and bring Shawn.
After two hours, when no one had appeared, Thurman and Graham argued about it and he stabbed her three times in the neck. Graham's five other children were also at the residence at the time of the attack. Graham had to be hospitalized for her wounds. She survived and was released from the hospital after two days.
Thurman fled the apartment before the police arrived, driving his 1989 Chevrolet GM4 pickup truck with the Delaware license plate number C48428. He turned himself into police to face charges the next day. He still did not have Shawn and refused to say where he was. Thurman has at least two other children, one who lived with Graham and one who lived with him at his home in the 200 block of 29th Street.
Police originally charged Thurman with second-degree assault for his attack on Graham, but later upgraded the charges to first-degree attempted murder. He has a criminal history for offenses including trespass, making terroristic threats, and assault.
Thurman pleaded guilty to assault, possession of a deadly weapon during a felony and endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison and seven years of probation after his release.
Police suspect foul play was involved in Shawn's disappearance. They have searched Thurman's home, his boat, and a landfill for the baby's remains, but have turned up no evidence thus far. Thurman continues to refuse to tell what happened to Shawn; he claims Graham knows the child's whereabouts. Shawn's remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Wilmington Police Department
302-571-4525
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Child Seek Network
City of Wilmington, Delaware
The News Journal
NamUs
Justia State Files
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
