Take your time and read over this information.

You may also download a printable copy of this information here.

Do not be afraid to ask and allow others to help you. It is very difficult to do all of this on your own.

Once you are sure you have a missing person to report, contact the local, county, or state law enforcement agency to make a missing person report (you do not have to contact all three if one opens an investigation). Contact your local FBI office if you have reason to believe that it is a kidnapping case. They have field agents who specialize in these types of investigations and will instruct you as to what to do.

Ask the law enforcement agency to open a missing person investigation. If you have reason to suspect your loved one is not missing voluntarily and in immediate danger, communicate this clearly to law enforcement. It is up to you to convince law enforcement that your loved one is missing. Be persistant.

Get a notebook with pockets/folders to keep track of your notes and copies of reports and missing person flyers.

Obtain a case number and write this down. Get a copy of the report, if possible.

Write down the detective or investigators name, telephone number and extension. Also write down his/her badge number. Keep notes and dates of each conversation.

Ask the police department to enter the missing person's information into the National Crime Information Center 's (NCIC) database and obtain the NCIC number, if possible (starts with “M” followed by nine numeric digits, M-123456789).

Provide as much information as possible on the person's behavior and whereabouts prior to the disappearance. It is very important to be honest with the investigators. No matter their lifestyle at the time.

Ask the law enforcement if they will issue a press release from their department to local media asking the public for assistance to search for the missing person. If they will not do it, then do it yourself. Contact as much of the media in your area as possible. Get someone to help you with this if necessary.

Ask law enforcement to create a flyer from Beyond Missing.com and/or make your own Missing Persons Flyer - use the most recent photograph you have, the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, a description of clothing and body markings (scars, tattoos, etc.) that would help someone to recognize your loved one. Put the missing person's date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, and any physical features or abnormalities on the flyer. Do not give the person's social security number to anyone other than law enforcement.

Circulate missing person flyers, except in locations prohibited by city codes to every location known to you. Ask the managers or owners of convenience stores, malls, businesses, and other high traffic areas to post a flyer of the missing person. Understand that some places have policies against this do not let this get you down. Go next door and ask. Have some business cards and mailing labels made up with the missing person information on them. Encourage everyone to help distribute these to as many places as possible.

Contact friends, family, hospitals, jails, homeless shelters, bus stations, airports, and medical examiners in the area and give them a flyer. Basically call as many places as you can think of. Grab a phone book and you, a family member or friend go through the book listing places to contact and request permission to place a flyer.

Contact your local crisis center for any assistance they may be able to offer.

Notify the law enforcement agency of any tips, leads, or if the missing person is located.

Don't be afraid to ask questions but remember the investigator can't always release all the information because they don't want jeopardize the case and make it less likely to find your missing loved one.

Ask how you can help (posting law enforcement approved flyers, contacting other organizations, etc.)

Locate and ask to post your missing persons information on as many missing person web sites and forums as you can find. With the internet as it is today this is an excellent way to get the information out to millions of people and organizations. However, be cautious and check out the organization before committing to any thing. There are allot of good organizations and individuals who are willing to help you without any compensation. We have listed some of those sites here on our site for you.

Contact the FindMonica Foundation staff to assist you in getting a web site provided.

Ask if the investigators need DNA, fingerprints, or dental records. Obtain as much of this information as possible and have it on hand and readily accessible

Verify that the missing person is still entered in NCIC periodically.

General Tips:

E-mail is helpful to relay information to many people at once with updates.
Ask a trusted family member or friend to help relay the information to other organizations.

Never use your own contact information like phone numbers or address on a missing person poster because it could put you in a vulnerable position. Keep notes of conversations to refresh your memory.

The majority of this information was provided by Outpost for Hope