When Someone Is Missing
When someone you love is missing, there may be no answers, no certainty, and no clear place for grief to begin. You may find yourself searching, waiting, hoping, fearing, and grieving all at the same time.
Sometimes described as ambiguous loss, this experience can leave families living between hope and grief. You do not have to choose one or the other to deserve support.
Here you can find resources for the search itself, organizations supporting families of missing people, and support for living with uncertainty.
Start Here: Missing Person Resources
If someone you love is missing and you are concerned for their safety, contact your local police department or call 911 in an emergency. The resources below are directories, databases, and support systems, not a substitute for reporting to the authorities.
- NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System): The official U.S. national database and resource for missing and unidentified persons, managed by the National Institute of Justice. Families can search and enter information free of charge.
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC): Reporting and resources for missing and exploited children, available 24/7 at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
- National Runaway Safeline: Support for a youth who has run away and for their family, available 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929).
National Organizations & Search Resources
- CUE Center for Missing Persons: A national nonprofit supporting families of missing persons with search services, investigations, and resources.
- Missing Persons Center: A resource hub providing information and support to families and friends searching for a missing loved one.
- DNA Doe Project: A nonprofit using volunteer genealogists to identify unidentified remains, which can help families find answers.
Support for Families
- NCMEC Team HOPE: Peer-to-peer support for families of missing and exploited children, connecting you with others who have faced the same experience.
- NamUs: Family support and case management for families of missing persons, alongside its national database.
- VictimConnect: A free, confidential referral and resource center for victims of crime, which can include families of missing persons.
Understanding Ambiguous Loss
Ambiguous loss is grief without resolution or certainty: the person is absent but not confirmed gone, leaving families living between hope and grief.
- Pauline Boss: The official site of the psychologist who originated the concept of ambiguous loss, with resources on living with the grief of someone who is missing and not knowing.
Books, Guides & Educational Resources
- Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief, by Pauline Boss: A leading book on this experience, written by the psychologist who first named ambiguous loss.
- NamUs: Resources and guides from the national U.S. database for missing and unidentified persons.
Currently in crisis?
If your grief has become a crisis, you feel unsafe, or you are thinking about harming yourself, immediate support is available.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week anywhere in the United States, free, confidential, and ready for anyone experiencing emotional distress or grief.
If this is a life-threatening emergency, call 911 immediately.