If a person wishes to disconnect from their current life for whatever reason…it is legal. And if you are a male, it seems to be more common. In 2012 alone, there were approximately 661,000 cases of missing persons. Of those, approximately 659,000 were canceled. Either the persons came back, were located as deceased persons, or just a total misunderstanding. But what about those left behind? Even though you may have wanted, or needed, to get away from your past life…. there still may be individuals left behind who genuinely care about your safety that will file a missing persons report.
If you have chosen to severe all ties with the past, it might be wise to look back to see what might have transpired in your absence. It is possible that you might be considered “missing” by law enforcement and listed on online databases for the missing. One easy way to find out is to “Google yourself.” Even people who have simply moved on (failing to maintain contact) for whatever reason might be considered missing.
Some of the homeless population including those living in shelters are among those considered missing. These are the people that might not have made a conscious choice to disconnect, but have become estranged from their families due to mental illness or drug addiction. It’s not a matter of privacy for a caregiver to look at the possibility someone might be seeking a displaced human being. Often it will be law enforcement seeking the whereabouts after a legitimate report has been made. It is hard to track down a person who leaves little or no paper trail.
Whether you yourself have chosen to start a new life or if you are the caregiver to someone in the homeless population. There is the possibility that a missing persons report might have been made. To find out, try doing a simple online search engine inquiry, or search direct listings on www.NamUs.gov – The National Missing & Unidentified Persons System.
If you do find that you have been reported as missing, that does not mean that you are required to return to a life you left behind. If you connect with the investigating agency you can save them a lot of effort. Each year law enforcement spends time, money, and resources searching for individuals who have chosen to severe ties with their past. These efforts are costly to the community. What isn’t commonly known is that you can remove yourself from the missing persons listings without forcing a re-connection to those in which you have chosen to disconnect.
People do have a right to move on with their lives, but continuing to keep their names in the missing persons databases takes away valuable law enforcement resources from those legitimately missing.
For more information on missing and unidentified persons contact NamUs online or call the hotline – 1-855-626-7600
