Missing persons

[MirrorMask]

I hope it's not a topic too heavy, I was thinking to post it in the P/R forum but isn't really political, so I'll givwe it a shot here.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many missing persons there are, in the entire world? every day seemingly someone just up and vanishes, and be it in Europe or the Americas or Asia, there are hundreds and hundreds of people reported missing.

Sure, there are some reasons for that:
- People being dissatisfied with their professional or sentimental life, starting off a new life alone or with a lover
- People getting involved with crime, and therefore running away from it, or falling victim to it
- Vile and garbage humans preying on children

But can all the mid-life crises, secret love affairs and run-ins with the criminal world justify alone the sheeer number of people simply going missing? what about the average Joes? the tranquil neighbour, the 20 years old student who is happy with his life, the middle aged man or woman with a simple life and no secrets... how can these people just disappear from one day to the other, without so much of a "How to run away" search on Google on their computers? seasoned criminals are caught by the police, but a mild mannered guy with no secrets or double life or health issues is just able to sneak off to the Barbados having secretly learned how to do it?

Is it so easy to just die alone in the nature where you can't be found, or be hospitalized as a John Doe without documents and die without identification? are there many undetected serial killers out there? consider that it's a global phenomenon, so it's not a cultural one - every day in Italy, in China, in the USA or in Brazil someone who simply had no apparent reason to vanish (neither a reason is found when the police investigates) one day is there, and the other day is nowhere to be found.

Can it really be so easy to just disappear, either by your own will or by someone else's, without any trace of a crime or a body?

[ReaperKK]

I think it largely depends on the part of the world you're in. Sadly it is easy to disappear human trafficking is rampant and if you're in poor part of the country with little support structure through family and friends then it just makes it that easy to disappear.

I was just listening to the Serial podcast and they were talking about a young guy in high school who just didn't come home one day. The cops didn't seem to interested in finding him because he came from a Spanish family. His mom and family looked for him and didn't find him until (I believe) some months or so later when they found his body in the woods. He was young, with friends, family, cell phone and yet his easily disappear when someone decided to kill him.

[Phoenix87x]

Great and compelling topic.

"Is it so easy to just die alone in the nature"

Yes

This aint no fairy tale world. Its a fierce, unforgiving place where there are no guarantees. We've only forgotten this because technological advancement has provided us the most easy and sheltered life that any human has ever experienced. Nature doesn't give two shits about any of us and if you wander off into it unprepared, you can easily die or get seriously hurt.

Next point- Serial killers. You'd be surprised how many there actually are and have been over the years. I watched some documentary once that estimated it at 50 active serial killers in the United states alone, at any given time. 

If parents only ever teach there child one single thing, its DO NOT HITCHHIKE, for the love of god. In modern days, there's way more cameras all over the place, but back before that, some teenager (especially women) hitch hiking were prime targets and easy. SOOOOO many serial killers and abductors got their victims this way. Never get in a car with someone you don't know.


Honestly, I think your 3 points nailed it, but I'll boil it down a little and rank it somewhat in terms of what I think is most common. 

1. Lost/dead in nature
2. Abductions (Human trafficking, serial killers or child predators)

3. Just somebody starting a new life

*The first two I think would be most likely, but number 3 does happen

 

[MirrorMask]

I agree with you essentially; there was a case of a young girl disappeared from the gym, who turned out dead 3 months later in the woods. They were searching for her, with dogs and everything, and no one found out her body for three months until it was discovered by accident in some field (The killer has been apprehended, at least so the DNA test says).

I've read some random articles on missing persons on Wikipedia, there was a quite famous one of a boy who got lost on his way home, stayed on the phone with his parents, said "Oh shit" and simply went offline, with no trace of him whatsoever. People theorized that he fell into a river, came out disoriented, took off his wet clothes and died of hypothermia somewhere in the wilderness never to be found no matter what.

Another reason that I forgot to mention is possibly undetected or undiagnosed mental issues. People being depressed and not even realizing it, or having a psychotic breakdown. There's a famous video on YouTube of a missing guy last seen running from who knows what from an airport - the day before or so he got involved in a violent fistfight, probably a blow damaged something in his head and he became paranoid or he was allucinating or stuff like that.

Still, as I said, the most haunting issue is about how many people just disappear with no apparent reason - tune in to one of those missing persons program (at least in Italy there's one that runs weekly since I was a kid) and there's always, each week, more than an average joe who disappears and there's not even something that makes you suspect a possible reason: no health issues, no divorce or secret lover, no job or school / university issues etc.... they just don't come back home one day and that's it.

[cramx3]

Someone I went to high school with and knew (he dated my high school gf before I did) went missing about 4 years ago for a few months.  Eventually they found him dead in his car in Colorado.  It was never publicly released as far as I know, and I just googled it out of curiosity, but he had a wife and otherwise though of a decent live.  His family was well off.  But My cop friend told me that he was heavily involved in drugs and likely got into debt with a gang or some other drug distributer and left his family for safety and then just offed himself after awhile.

I kind of feel most missing people are due to some sort of foul play (without any evidence to support this thought, just seems how I feel).  Sure lots of people escaping society as well.

[Indiscipline]

Adding to the list, there's a lot of people disappearing into poverty.

[Train of Naught]

One of my closest friends in college went missing earlier this year and it was one of the most emotionally intense moments in my life, I cannot imagine the stuff she must have gone through, she was fearing for her life at some point. I realized how easy it is to go missing without (or well, with barely) a trace. We managed to retrace her within about a week in cooperation with the police but damn, even in a country as well-organized as Netherlands, scary stuff like this happens.

[cramx3]

I can't imagine what it must be like for a loved one to go missing, like just the not knowing what happened aspect would haunt you for the rest of your life until you found out I feel. 

[Phoenix87x]

I can't imagine what it must be like for a loved one to go missing, like just the not knowing what happened aspect would haunt you for the rest of your life until you found out I feel.

Totally agree. The missing aspect is like a double whammy. Not only do you lose a loved one, but the thought of not knowing and never being able to get closure makes it 10x worse.

[El Barto]

I've always wondered how many people pitched their wallet into the pile at the former WTC and walked away to start over. Since it would necessarily be a spur of the moment thing it wouldn't be a huge number, but I suspect some people did have that idea. If that were your objective it presented a marvelous opportunity.

Also, Dale Bozzio was hot.

[Stadler]

Also, Dale Bozzio was hot.

That took me a second, but, I agree.   

[Phoenix87x]

In an effort help prevent disappearances, there have been stories of parents implanting an RFID tracker chip in their child, so that way they know where they are at every minute of every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

https://observer.com/2015/03/can-we-microchip-our-kids-to-prevent-kidnapping/

What do you guys think about that?

I personally would not.

[Stadler]

It's a conundrum; as parents, we SAY we will "do anything it takes" to keep our kids safe, but will we?   I personally would not, but that's not to say I wouldn't understand if someone did.   In some senses, this is no different than administering a vaccine (and, since it can be removed, perhaps LESS invasive) which I've consented to at least 15 times now with my kid.

[MirrorMask]

Flip side of it: child abductors would learn how to extract the chip.

Let's say in the future the technology develops to the point that you can have a quick and basically painless operation to install a "GPS chip" in a child - they should be heavily regulated and with standard procedures (also, you'd have to remove them by the time the kid is 14 or even younger), it's not that you place it wherever you want to place it... if you learn how to install it, you can learn also how to remove it, if it's small enough, a cut at the base of the neck or whatever won't kill a child abducted to be sold into slavery or to human traffickers.

[El Barto]

They wouldn't be all that useful against bad actors since, as was mentioned, they won't be that hard to remove. If I were to snatch some kid I'm sending the arm East while I go West. What they will do is make your kid a sitting duck in other regards, and that's something that's always fascinated me. If your kid decides to break bad, would you want him to stand a chance, or would you want him captured and locked up immediately?

[cramx3]

In an effort help prevent disappearances, there have been stories of parents implanting an RFID tracker chip in their child, so that way they know where they are at every minute of every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

https://observer.com/2015/03/can-we-microchip-our-kids-to-prevent-kidnapping/

What do you guys think about that?

I personally would not.

Oh hell no, that's one way to have your child hate you and not trust you.  Plus just feels unethical unless the child wanted it for themselves.

[mikeyd23]

In an effort help prevent disappearances, there have been stories of parents implanting an RFID tracker chip in their child, so that way they know where they are at every minute of every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

https://observer.com/2015/03/can-we-microchip-our-kids-to-prevent-kidnapping/

What do you guys think about that?

I personally would not.

Oh hell no, that's one way to have your child hate you and not trust you.  Plus just feels unethical unless the child wanted it for themselves.

Yeah I agree, I would not do that to my kid.

[Stadler]

el Barto, that's an interesting thought, that part about breaking bad.  That goes to the whole ancestry thing as well. 

[New World Rushman]

See Black Mirror, "Arkangel" episode.

[Phoenix87x]

I watch this one youtube channel from time to time called Criminally listed. It has some really compelling real life missing persons videos

https://youtu.be/J-96jPiuPOY

(You may have to go to the beginning of the video)