Essay on Investigation for a Missing Persons Case

A missing persons investigation is a comprehensive assessment of the situations relating to unidentified whereabouts of a person. Kyles case would require thorough investigation, as the reason for her disappearance is not clear. The person who corresponds to a missing persons situation is most of the time unaware of the reasons for the persons disappearance. A possible child abduction case requires a comprehensive investigation plan because such cases could become high profile overnight, and the missing person is always at immediate risk and danger unless facts are obtained which contradict this assumption. Also, if the investigation is done in a less serious manner, it would undermine crucial information, that could be a key component to finding the missing person. To develop a thorough investigative plan in Kyles case the following procedure can be followed;

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The first thing is to determine whether or not the victim is a high-risk or missing person (Findlay & Lowery, 2011).

Then an officer should be dispatched to the scene to conduct preliminary investigation.

Because Kyle is suspected to have been abducted, the investigator should request an Amber Alert.

The investigator should then obtain more details about the missing child and abductor by interviewing the reporting person who is Kyles mother, Mrs. Jones and her sister Mary.

In case there is any issue of child custody, the investigator should review court orders or the issues surrounding custody.

Since where the person missing was last seen is known, the investigator should interview the persons who contacted Kyle last.

The investigator should afterwards develop a list of known friends and relatives for interviews.

It would also be prudent to share the details of the case to the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) (Snow, 2008).

Descriptive information should then be relayed to all appropriate law enforcement agencies for broadcast.

It would be important to establish a leads-management system to review and prioritize leads.

There should be a thorough search in a logical and systematic manner, starting with the place the abduction happened to other areas.

When applicable, the missing persons DNA should be obtained from their belongings.

Media outlets should be utilized when necessary.

If the abducted child is not found, thorough follow up should be done within thirty days, as long as Kyle is not found, the case will remain open to any leads. The case will obviously be closed if the child is found or the body matching the DNA will be found. Finally, when the child is found it should be reported to the office of the Attorney General.

Works cited

Findlay, Preston, and Lowery Robert. Missing and Abducted Children: A Law-Enforcement Guide to Case Investigation and Program Management (4th ed.), (2011). Virgin: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Snow, Robert. Child Abduction: Prevention, Investigation, and Recovery. (2008). Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers.