How to File a Missing Person Report in Modesto, California

You may file a missing persons report over the phone in Modesto.

Find help locating a missing person by calling the Modesto Police Department Missing Persons Unit. Call the Modesto police as soon as you know the person is missing. California does not require a waiting period. The Modesto police must accept your report even when filed over the phone, according the California attorney general's website. You do not have to be related to the missing person to file a missing persons report. Missing persons include children, runaways, a child illegally taken by a parent or family member, and adults.

Instructions

1. Gather information about the missing person. Include name, nicknames, gender, date of birth, height, weight, skin tone, eye color, hair color and hair style. Include any birthmarks, tattoos or other distinguishing marks, blemishes or physical traits. Describe what she was last wearing including clothing, shoes, jewelry, backpacks, handbags and other accessories.

2. Report information about where the missing person was last seen in Modesto. Collect names, phone numbers and addresses of those who last saw or spoke with him. Describe any vehicles the person uses including make, model and color.

3. Find a recent photo of the missing person for Modesto police. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that color photos that show the face of the missing person without distracting backgrounds can be an important tool for law enforcement.

4. Make a list of places the missing person regularly frequents such as school, work or social places such as the mall, arcades or restaurants. Include places that she may go when in trouble such as the homes of relatives and friends, churches or crisis centers.

5. File a report on high risk missing persons by calling the Modesto Police Department's Dispatch Center at 209-552-2470. The Modesto Police Department website states that high-risk persons include young children, the mentally disabled, the elderly and those who disappeared under suspicious circumstances.

6. File a report on a child who runs away frequently or a child who is aged 16 or older by calling the Modesto Police Department's Telephone Reporting Unit at 209-572-9573 or 209-572-9574.

7. Call 9-1-1 if you know of an immediate danger regarding a missing person to which the police can respond such as witnessing a person being abducted.

8. File a report in person. The Modesto Police Department is located at 600 10th St. in Modesto, California.

9. Find out information about the status of a missing persons investigation by calling the Modesto Police Department Missing Persons community service officer at 209-572-9532.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the missing person's social networking pages on websites such as Facebook or Twitter for information about her last known whereabouts or people she talked to most recently.

• File a missing person report with national services such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Center for Missing Adults and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

• Print flyers with a photo and description of the missing person. Include the phone number and location of the Modesto Police Department.

• The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System provides free DNA testing to aid in the location and identification of missing and unidentified persons.

References

• Modesto Police Department: Missing Persons Unit
• California Office of the Attorney General: California Missing Persons
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: The Importance of Having a Good Photo of Your Child

Resources

• National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
• National Center for Missing Adults
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children