How to Locate a Lost Person
When someone goes missing, family and friends tend to panic. Whether it's a hiker who gets separated from his group, a child who wanders away from her parents or an elderly relative who forgets how to get home, a missing-person situation can be a traumatic event. However, the most important thing to remember in these situations is to stay calm and focus on the ways to locate the person.
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Instructions
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Call the missing person's cell phone, if he has one. If there is no answer and the phone accepts voice mail, leave a message for him to contact you immediately.
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File a missing person's report. Call the police department if you suspect foul play and if you can't reach the missing person on a cell phone after several tries. Call the police immediately to file a report in the case of missing children. Police will need to act quickly to find a missing child.
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Check a lost person's e-mail records if you have access to his account, log-in and password. See whether the person made plans with anyone and try to contact anyone the lost person was in touch with before going missing.
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Use the social-networking websites to locate a lost person. Post messages on various social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and ask people whether they know where the lost person is. Ask questions about conversations the lost person may have had with others.
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Contact a private investigator if all else fails. Private investigators will charge a fee, but they are very efficient at what they do and will be able to backtrack much better than friends and family members.
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Go to the location where the lost person was last seen. Bring a lot of people with you, and ask for help from your church, neighbors or community in helping find the lost individual. Have people scan the area that the lost person was last.
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Tips & Warnings
Some police departments require you to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person's report, so trying to contact someone on your own may be the most helpful thing to do.
References
- Photo Credit the person at a window. image by Andrey Armyagov from Fotolia.com
