Important Steps To Take When a Loved One Goes Missing

Important Steps To Take When a Loved One Goes Missing

Surrounding yourself with great people is crucial when trying to live a happy and fulfilling life. The average person has an inherent desire to protect the people closes to them. When a person close to you goes missing, you will probably feel helpless and afraid.

Over 520,000 people go missing in the United States every year. How you go about handling a missing person case can dictate the outcome. If you let your emotions take over, you might have a hard time thinking rationally and doing what it takes to find your missing loved one.

Here are some important steps you need to take when a loved one goes missing.

Contact The Police Immediately

When you are unable to get in contact with a loved one, you need to make sure they are actually missing before calling the authorities. Visiting the person’s home to see if they are just avoiding your attempts to contact them is a good idea. If the person in question lives in Chesapeake or Virginia Beach, VA, you should contact the police to perform a wellness check. During this wellness check, a police officer will check for things like signs of forced entry to a person’s home.

If you verify that the person in question is indeed missing, you need to file a report immediately. When you start to file a report for a missing person, you will be asked many questions. Police officers will want to know details like a person’s identifying characteristics, medication history and a physical description. If you can provide police officers with a current picture of your friend or loved one, it can help them greatly.

Work With a Private Investigator

Most police departments have a pre-determined amount of time they wait before investigating a missing person. If you are relatively certain that a loved one is actually missing, the last thing you probably want to do is wait. Getting the ball rolling immediately on a missing person investigation will require you to reach out to a private investigator.

The consensus is that the first 48 hours after a person goes missing is a crucial period of time. A private investigator will have the time, tools and experience needed to get help find your loved one. With the help of East Coast Investigations, you can get the answers you are looking for.

Think About Alerting the Media

The more people you can enlist to help in your search for a missing loved one, the easier it will be to get answers. One of the best ways to get your community involved in the hunt for a missing person is by working with local media. Contacting local newspapers, television stats and bloggers is a good idea. Getting the word out about your missing friend or family member will be much easier if you enlist the help of these media outlets.

Every second counts when it comes to finding a missing friend or family member. If you are having problems finding a missing person in Norfolk, VA, East Coast Investigations is here to help.