Missing persons are those who have disappeared from their normal patterns of life. While certain groups of people, such as youth and sex trade workers, are at an increased risk of going missing and being harmed, the majority of disappearances do not involve foul play. People may disappear as a result of mental health issues, life pressures, or conflict with others. While many people are located by police or return on their own, others have never been found, and their cases remain open and uncleared by police. Research into missing persons has studied the characteristics of missing persons, the reasons why they go missing, and the risk factors for particular outcomes. More recently, research has focused on improving the police response to missing person cases. The current study reviews the literature available on missing persons, and provides an analysis of uncleared missing person cases in British Columbia since the 1950s.
Authors
- Pages
- 80
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
