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.



Missing Person Photos

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

Walcie Rae Downing
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Downing, date, approximate 1956
Date Missing 12/14/1956
Missing From
Gallup, New Mexico
Missing Classification Missing
Sex Female
Race
Native American
Age 32 years old
Height and Weight 5'6, 130 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A white blouse, blue jeans and an engagement ring.
Associated Vehicle(s) Cream or tan 1952 or 1954 Ford
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Native American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Downing may go by her middle name, Rae. Her maiden name is Alston and her previous married name is Pearce (sometimes spelled "Pierce"). Downing has moles on her back, and her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Downing was last seen in Gallup, New Mexico on December 14, 1956. She drove a cream or tan 1952 or 1954 Ford at the time of her disappearance; it has never been recovered. It's possible she contacted her children by phone in around 1959, but this hasn't been confirmed. She has never been heard from again.
Downing was born in Arkansas and had lived in Arizona, Texas and California as well as New Mexico. Her family stated she was going through a difficult time at the time of her disappearance, including a broken relationship. She may have been having an affair with a police officer.
When she left, she told her fourteen-year-old daughter not to look for her. Nevertheless, her five children don't believe she would have abandoned them permanently.
One theory is that she was murdered in the area of Grants, New Mexico or somewhere in the lava fields, known as the malpais. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Gallup Police Department
505-863-9365
Other
NamUs
Mystorical
Justice for Native Women
Genealogy Today

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.



Missing Person Photos

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