National Missing Children Statistics
Year 2000
The following information is from the NCIC Missing/Unidentified Person
File Report for 2000, Washington, D.C.; National Crime Information Center,
Federal
Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, January 2001.
- In 2000 - 876,213 missing persons (adults and juveniles) were reported
missing to the police and entered into the FBI's National Crime Information
Center
(NCIC) computer.
- For the fifteenth time in the eighteen years since the passage of the
Missing Children's Act in 1982, the number of missing persons reported
to the police
increased. The 2000 reports were up 1% over 1999. The total increase
since 1982 is 468% (154,341 entries in 1982 vs. 876,213 in 2000).
- The FBI estimates that 85% - 90% of missing persons are juveniles. Thus,
in approximately 750,000 cases (or 2,100 per day) the disappearance
of a child was serious enough that a parent called the police, the
police
took
a report, and the police entered that report into NCIC.
- In 1990 Congress passed the National Child Search Assistance Act, mandating
an immediate police report and NCIC entry in every case. Since 1990,
NCIC missing persons reports have increased 32%.
- The primary NCIC categories
in which missing children reports are entered are:
- ``Juvenile'' - 685,617 cases, up .2% over 1999 (police enter most
missing child cases in ``Juvenile'', including some non-family
abductions where
there is no evidence of foul play).
- ``Endangered'' - 120,726 cases (adults and juveniles),
an increase of 5.8% over 1999 (defined as ``missing
and in the company of another
person
under
circumstances indicating that his or her physical safety
is in danger'').
- ``Involuntary'' - 31,539 cases (adults and juveniles),
a decrease of 1.1% from 1999 (defined as ``missing
under circumstances indicating
that the disappearance
was not voluntary; i.e., abduction or kidnapping'').
Year 1999
- In 1998 - 932,190 missing persons (adults and juveniles) were reported missing
to the police and entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center
(NCIC) computer.
- This is a positive development, the first time in 16 years since the
passage of the Missing Children's Act in 1982 that there has been a
significants
reduction in the number of missing persons reported to the police. There
was a 1.4% decline in 1996. The 1998 reports were down 5% from 1997.
Yet the total increase since 1982 is still over 500% (154,341 entries
in 1982
vs. 932,190 in 1998)
- The FBI estimates that 85% - 90% of missing persons are juveniles. Thus,
in approxiamately 800,000 cases (or 2,200 per day) the disappearance
of a child was serious enough that a parent called the police, the
police took
a report, and the police entered that report into NCIC.
- In 1990 Congress passed the National Child Search Assistance Act, mandating
an immediate police report and NCIC entry in every case. Since 1990,
NCIC missing persons reports have increased 40.4%.
- The primary NCIC categories in which missing children reports are
entered are:
- ``Juvenile'' - 749,090 cases, down 6.5% from 1997 (police enter
most missing child cases in ``Juvenile'', including
some nonfamily abductions
where there
is no evidence of foul play).
- ``Endangered'' - 111,723 cases (adults and juveniles), an increase
of 5% over 1997 (defined as ``missing and in
the company of another person
under
circumstances indicating that his or her physical
safety is in danger'').
- ``Involuntary'' - 33,038 cases (adults and juveniles),
a decrease of 2.5% from 1997 (defined as ``missing
under circumstances indicating
that the disappearance
was not voluntary; i.e., abduction or kidnapping'').
Year 1998
- In 1998 - 932,190 missing persons (adults and juveniles) were reported missing
to the police and entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center
(NCIC) computer.
- This is a positive development, the first time in 16 years since the
passage of the Missing Children's Act in 1982 that there has been a
significants
reduction in the number of missing persons reported to the police. There
was a 1.4% decline in 1996. The 1998 reports were down 5% from 1997.
Yet the total increase since 1982 is still over 500% (154,341 entries
in 1982
vs. 932,190 in 1998)
- The FBI estimates that 85% - 90% of missing persons are juveniles. Thus,
in approxiamately 800,000 cases (or 2,200 per day) the disappearance
of a child was serious enough that a parent called the police, the
police took
a report, and the police entered that report into NCIC.
- In 1990 Congress passed the National Child Search Assistance Act, mandating
an immediate police report and NCIC entry in every case. Since 1990,
NCIC missing persons reports have increased 40.4%.
- The primary NCIC categories in which missing children reports are
entered are:
- ``Juvenile'' - 749,090 cases, down 6.5% from 1997 (police enter
most missing child cases in ``Juvenile'', including some nonfamily
abductions
where there
is no evidence of foul play).
- ``Endangered'' - 111,723 cases (adults and juveniles), an increase
of 5% over 1997 (defined as ``missing and in the company
of another person
under
circumstances indicating that his or her physical safety
is in danger'').
- ``Involuntary'' - 33,038 cases (adults and juveniles),
a decrease of 2.5% from 1997 (defined as ``missing under
circumstances indicating
that the disappearance
was not voluntary; i.e., abduction or kidnapping'').