Emergency guide
Someone I love is missing
When someone cannot be found, the first hour matters most. This page lists what to do now, who to call and words you can use. If a child, or anyone in danger, is missing, call the police first.
General information, not legal advice. Rules depend on where you live. If you have a letter, notice or form with a date on it, get advice before that date passes.
Checked 10 October 2026 · re-check due 10 April 2027 · To keep a copy, use your browser’s print or share menu.
First: are you safe?
If the missing person is a child, or may be in danger, call 911 in the US or 999 in the UK now, before anything else. If the worry is more than you can carry, or you are thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 in the US, or call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK, at any hour. If you think the missing person may be thinking about ending their life, call 911 or 999, not a non-emergency line, and say so in your first sentence: it tells the police how fast to act.
Today
- If the missing person is a child, cannot look after themselves (for example has dementia, or needs medicine they do not have), may be in danger, or may be thinking about ending their life, call the police now: 911 in the US, 999 in the UK. Say the risk in your first sentence. Do not search first.
- If a young child is missing from home, after you call, check closets, under beds, piles of laundry, inside large appliances and cars, including the trunk. In a shop, tell the nearest staff or security straight away, and call the police.
- You do not have to wait. There is no waiting period in the UK, or for a child in the US. For an adult in the US, say plainly why you are worried.
- If no one is at risk, take a few minutes to look: call or message them, check places they go, ask friends and family, and note what you did and when. Do not search alone in the dark. Then call the police: 101 in the UK, the non-emergency number for your local police in the US.
- Have ready: a recent photo that looks like them now, their name and birth date, what they look like and were wearing, their phone number, any car and its plate, any health need or medicine, places they go, who they might be with, what they took or left behind, and anything that worries you. For a child, any custody order and the other parent's details. If they have dementia and a Herbert Protocol form was filled in, give it to the police. Write down the report number, the officer's name and the time.
- Leave their room, computer, tablet and phone as they are, and keep their toothbrush or hairbrush: the police may need them.
- Once the police have the report: US, if a child is missing, call NCMEC (the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) on 1-800-843-5678; UK, call Missing People on 116 000 from 10am to 5pm, or text it from 10am to 10pm. If they get in touch or come home, tell the police straight away.
- If anyone asks you for money to bring them back, or for information about them, do not pay or reply: tell the police at once. Ask one person to stay with you, and look after yourself. If the worry is too much, call 988 in the US or Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK.
The clocks that have started
Deadlines that can start when this happens, soonest first. Your own letters give your dates; when two dates could apply, count from the earlier one. The details of each are on the page online; its address is at the bottom.
Deadlines that can start when this happens, soonest first. Tap one to see when it starts and what happens if you miss it. Your own letters give your dates; when two dates could apply, count from the earlier one.
Jump to: United States · United Kingdom
In the United States
A child or young person under 21 is missing: report at once, there is no waiting periodNo waiting period.United States (federal rule)
- How long
- No waiting period. Federal law says police may not keep a policy of making you wait before taking a missing-child report, and the report must be entered into the national missing-person database (NCIC) and NamUs within 2 hours of the police receiving it. Police must then check the record and add more information, such as medical and dental records and a recent photo, within 30 days
- Starts
- the moment you do not know where the child is and you are worried. Do not wait to see if they turn up
- If missed
- no right is lost by calling late, but nobody is searching until police have the report. If an officer says to wait, say you are reporting a missing child under 21, ask for the report number and the officer's name, and call NCMEC. If the child may be in danger, call 911
- It lets you
- get the report taken today and ask the officer to enter the child into the FBI's NCIC Missing Person File straight away, as NCMEC advises. Have ready the child's name, birth date, height, weight, marks such as glasses or braces, when you noticed they were missing and what they were wearing. After the police have the report, call NCMEC on 1-800-843-5678. Medical and dental records and a recent photo can go to the police on the first day
Where this differs: This covers a child under 21. For someone 21 or older, no federal law says police must take the report at once, so your local police decide how fast. The FBI's national file takes a missing person of any age who has a disability that puts them in danger, may be in danger, may not have left by choice, or went missing in a disaster, and any other adult where there is 'a reasonable concern for his/her safety'. So tell the police plainly which of these fits. Each state and police agency has its own forms
Checked 10 October 2026 at 34 U.S. Code § 41308 (Legal Information Institute)
In the United Kingdom
Someone is missing: call the police now, you do not have to wait 24 hoursNo waiting time.Whole UK
- How long
- No waiting time. GOV.UK says the person will be recorded as missing and their details made available to other UK police forces within 48 hours
- Starts
- as soon as you cannot find the person and you are worried about them. Do not wait for a day to pass
- If missed
- no right is lost, but the later the police start, the later the search starts. If someone tells you to wait 24 hours, say that you do not have to, ask them to take the report now, and ask for a reference number. If you are not sure whether to report, or talking to the police feels hard, Missing People can talk it through (call 116 000 from 10am to 5pm, or text until 10pm), but it cannot report for you
- It lets you
- start the search. Call 999 if the person is a child or may be at risk of harm; call 101 if not. The police may ask for a photo, details of friends and relatives, places the person often goes, any medical condition, and a DNA sample such as a toothbrush. With a relative's permission they may ask to search the home. Write down the reference number you are given and quote it when you call 101 with anything new, or when the person comes home or gets in touch. You can also go to any police station, even if the person lives in another part of the UK. Relay UK users can dial 18001 101
Where this differs: GOV.UK's page names no nation, and the UK Missing Persons Unit says the same: the 24-hour rule is not true. Police Scotland says 999 if the person may be at risk of harm, otherwise 101. The PSNI asks you to contact it as soon as you can. In Northern Ireland, Tesco Mobile and giffgaff users call 028 9065 0222 instead of 101. Police will not pass on where a person over 18 is without their permission; they may tell you the person is safe. If the person is under 18, parents or guardians are usually told where they are unless police believe the child's safety is at risk
Checked 10 October 2026 at GOV.UK: Report or find a missing person
Who to call
Jump to: United States · United Kingdom
In the United States
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
if a child is missing: call 1-800-843-5678 at any hour after you have reported to the police. It gives crisis support and referrals to local counseling and takes sighting reports. If the police will not take the report or will not confirm the NCIC entry, call NCMEC. It does not replace the police
Call 1-800-843-5678 · 24 hours
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- if a child is missing: report to your local police first (911 if anyone is in immediate danger). NCMEC says to call it after the police have the report
- for that police call, as NCMEC lists it: the child's name, date of birth, height, weight, marks such as eyeglasses or braces, when you noticed they were missing, and what they were wearing
- for Take It Down: nothing to send. The picture or video stays on your own device
They may ask
- if a child is missing: a call center specialist records information about your child
They can
- answer 24 hours a day on 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
- if a child is missing: work with your family and the police on the case, make and share posters, pass tips from the hotline to the police, and put you in touch with trained volunteers whose own child went missing
- give crisis support and referrals to local counseling for a family with a missing or sexually exploited child
- take a sighting: find the child's poster and report it there, or call the same number
- point you to tools for removing sexual pictures and videos of a minor from the internet, including Take It Down, which is free and lets you stay anonymous
They cannot
- replace the police or 911: if anyone is in immediate danger call 911; for a missing child, call your local police first
- promise an AMBER Alert: its page says AMBER Alerts are activated in the most serious cases of child abduction
- remove images from every site: Take It Down works on public or unencrypted platforms that have agreed to take part
- help with images taken when you were 18 or older: for those the site points to stopncii.org
- take images from you: do not send, share or download an image to use Take It Down, which makes a digital fingerprint on your own device
if the missing person is a young person who may have run away, or you are that young person: free and confidential, any hour. It can hold a message from you for them, given to them if they call. Report to the police and NCMEC first
Call 1-800-786-2929 · 24/7
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- talk with a trained crisis counselor by phone (1-800-786-2929), text to the same number, live chat or email, free and confidential, available 24/7
- listen, help you explore your options and help you make a plan to stay safe
- help you search a database of local and national youth resources, such as housing, counseling and legal aid
- through the Home Free program, help a young person aged 12 to 21 return safely to a confirmed known adult or an available safe place, at no cost to the young person: call to get started
They cannot
- promise an immediate solution: the site says it cannot guarantee one, only that it will try to help you improve your situation
- answer the forum in real time: the forum is not monitored in real time and is not for emergencies
Email is answered as soon as possible, but the hotline or live chat may connect you faster. School email accounts may not get a reply: use a personal one if you can.
NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System)
if the person is still missing after the first days: a free national database run by the US Department of Justice. You can add the case yourself; it is checked with the police before it goes public. Free family DNA kits
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- a police report on file: NamUs checks with the police agency before a case goes public
They can
- let a family member add a new missing-person case and search the public case information, free
- compare missing-person cases with unidentified people, to find matches
- provide family DNA collection kits at no cost; family samples must be collected by a police officer or other criminal justice staff
They cannot
- publish a case straight away: it is checked with the police agency first
- replace a report to the police
for you, at any hour: call, text or chat if the worry is more than you can carry or you are thinking about ending your life. You do not have to be suicidal to call
Call 988 · Text Text 988 · 24/7
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- answer by call, text or chat, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, free and confidential
- talk with you about a friend or loved one as well as yourself: the page invites you to call, text or chat to take care of a friend, a loved one, or yourself
- help if you are not suicidal: the page says people do not have to be suicidal to call, and lists economic worries, relationships, illness and loneliness among the reasons
- talk in Spanish (press 2 after dialling 988, or text AYUDA to 988); TTY users can dial 711 then 988
for what the disappearance is doing to daily life, such as rent, food, bills or utilities: say what is happening. Hours depend on your local service
Call 211 · 24/7 in most areas
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- a few facts about your current living situation
- any income you have
- the children or other dependents who live with you
They may ask
- about your current living situation
- about any income you have
- about any children or other dependents who live with you
They can
- connect you to local help with rent, mortgage, utilities, food and health care
- talk to you by phone; some local 211s also offer text and web chat, so check yours
- use 180 languages on request
- keep the call confidential, and it can be anonymous
- give you other ideas if you do not qualify for one program: you can call again
They cannot
- give you money themselves: 211 is the number for information and referrals to services
- help in a life-threatening emergency: call 911 first if you or someone you love is in one or may be a danger to someone else
In the United Kingdom
999 if a child is missing or anyone may be at risk; 101 if not. You do not have to wait 24 hours. Write down the reference number
Call 101 · 999 and 101 at any hour
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- a recent photo
- details of their friends or relatives, and places they often go
- any medical condition and medicine, and whether they left without it
- what they were wearing, their phone number, and any vehicle they may have
- something with their DNA on it, such as a toothbrush: do not throw it away
They may ask
- questions to judge the risk: their health and mental health, why they might have gone, any recent big change in their life, and any alcohol or drug use
They can
- start a search and make the person's details available to other UK police forces
- take the report at your own local police station, even if the person lives in another part of the UK
- ask, with a relative's permission, to search the person's home
They cannot
- tell you where an adult is without their permission; they may tell you the person is safe and well
Write down the reference number you are given. Quote it when you call 101 with anything new, or when the person comes home or gets in touch.
once the police have the report: call 116 000 from 10am to 5pm, or text it from 10am to 10pm, free. Support, appeals, and help if talking to the police feels hard. It cannot report for you
Call 116 000 · Text Text 116 000 · Calls 10am to 5pm; texts 10am to 10pm; online chat 5:30pm to 10pm; every day. It can close at short notice.
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- if someone is missing: a report to the police first. Missing People cannot report it for you
They can
- talk it through, free and in confidence, if you are not sure whether someone is missing or at risk, or if speaking to the police feels hard
- launch an appeal for your missing person once they have been reported to the police, and help with the media
- give you ongoing support from a Family Support Worker, for as long as you need it
- for someone who is away: pass a message in their own words to a family member over 18 without knowing where they are, or set up a 3-way call
- use Language Line interpreters for people who do not speak English
They cannot
- report a person missing to the police for you
- take phone calls after 5pm: text 116 000 until 10pm, or use online chat from 5:30pm
- answer overnight: for urgent help call 999 or 101; Samaritans, Childline and Shout are open 24 hours
Texts sent after 10pm are answered once the helpline opens. Email 116000@missingpeople.org.uk for a reply within 24 hours.
for you, at any hour: call 116 123, free from any phone, if the worry is more than you can carry or you are thinking about ending your life
Call 116 123 · Any time, day or night, every day of the year
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- answer 116 123 at any time, day or night, free from any phone, including pay-as-you-go mobiles with no credit
- listen without judging or telling you what to do, about whatever you are going through, including the loss of someone
- keep your call private: your number is not shown to the volunteer and you do not have to give your name, with exceptions the page lists, such as a risk of serious harm to other people
They cannot
- reply to email: the UK email service has closed. Web chat is running at a small scale and is not open to everyone yet
text SHOUT to 85258 at any hour if you would rather text than talk: free and confidential. If a life is at immediate risk, call 999
Text Text SHOUT to 85258 · 24/7
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- reply by text, 24 hours a day, to anyone in the UK who needs support: text the word SHOUT to 85258, free and confidential
- talk with you about anxiety and stress, low mood, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, panic attacks, loneliness, abuse or bullying, sharing only what you feel comfortable sharing
They cannot
- act as an emergency service: if your life is at imminent risk, call 999
- always reply at once: replies can take longer at busy times, and the highest-risk texts are answered first
Replies can take longer at busy times. The page suggests its online resources while you wait.
if you are under 19 and you are the one who has left, or you are thinking of leaving: talk to a counsellor at any hour, free; it will not show on a phone bill
Call 0800 1111 · 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- talk with a counsellor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 0800 1111 or by 1-2-1 online chat; you can talk about anything, big or small
- take your call free from most landlines and mobiles in the UK: the call will not show on a phone bill, and you can call even if you have no credit
- help deaf young people through 1-2-1 chat or email to a counsellor, or British Sign Language through an interpreter (SignVideo, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm)
- help you, if you are under 18, report a sexual picture or video of yourself and get it removed from the internet, with Report Remove, run with the Internet Watch Foundation
They cannot
- take more than 10 calls in 24 hours from a single phone number: the site says a limit applies
- replace 999: the site says in an emergency you should always call 999
At night it can take longer to get through on chat, and calls may be shorter than usual. If it is difficult to get through and you need urgent help, call 999.
Citizens Advice (Adviceline, England)
if the missing person paid the bills and money is short now: free advice on debt, benefits and housing (England, weekdays). Write to the bank, landlord and lenders early and explain. In England and Wales a court can later make you guardian of their money; it has fees
Call 0800 144 8848 · Usually 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Not available on public holidays.
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- your postcode if you call from a mobile: if you do not have one, say one nearby such as a GP surgery, takeaway shop or taxi company
They may ask
- your postcode, from a mobile, to find your local Citizens Advice
They can
- connect you to your local Citizens Advice (Adviceline, England)
- talk to you by online chat: Universal Credit claims 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, debt 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9:30am to 1pm Saturday
- help with a new Universal Credit claim through Help to Claim, free and confidential, from the application to the first payment
- take Relay UK calls (18001 then 0800 144 8848)
They cannot
- answer on public holidays: Adviceline is not available then
- cover all of the UK on this number: it is for England, Wales has a separate Advicelink line, and there are a few parts of England not yet covered
- help everywhere: most local Citizens Advice can only help if you live or work in their area
Usually busiest at the start of the day. At busy times you might wait up to an hour, and a call not answered within an hour is disconnected, so try again later. Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
Citizens Advice Cymru (Advicelink Wales)
the same help in Wales
Call 0800 702 2020 · Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm. Saturday 9am to 1pm.
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- connect you to an adviser through Advicelink (Wales) on 0800 702 2020, free from mobiles and landlines
- talk to you by online chat about any other kind of problem, usually 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
- take Relay UK calls: 18001 then 0800 702 2020
- point you to the Citizens Advice consumer service for problems with energy, water or post
They cannot
- answer on public holidays: Advicelink is not available then
- help you in person if you live outside your local office's area: most local Citizens Advice can only help if you live or work in their area
Usually busiest at the beginning and end of the day. At busy times you might wait up to an hour, and a call not answered within an hour is disconnected, so try again later.
Citizens Advice Scotland (Scottish Citizens Advice Helpline)
the same help in Scotland
Before you call: what to have ready
Have ready
- your postcode: the page finds your local Citizens Advice Bureau by postcode
They can
- put you through to an adviser at your local bureau by phone on 0800 028 1456, the Scottish Citizens Advice Helpline
- give free, confidential and impartial advice, and help you work out next steps
- raise a complaint with an energy supplier for you through its Extra Help Unit, if you may be considered vulnerable or at risk of disconnection
- give advice online, on its advice pages
the same help in Northern Ireland
Before you call: what to have ready
They can
- give advice on benefits, personal debt and managing bills, through the freephone helpline on 0800 915 4604
- answer by email at advice@adviceni.net
- point you to an Advice NI member near you if you need face-to-face advice
They cannot
- see you in person themselves: for face-to-face advice you contact a local advice centre run by an Advice NI member
Say it this way
Change anything to your own words.
Hello, I want to report a missing person. [If true: I think they may be in danger, or thinking about ending their life.] Their name is [name], age [age]. I last saw or heard from them at [time] at [place]. I am worried because [reason]. They [need / do not need] medicine. Could you give me a report number?
I am reporting a missing child under 21. My understanding is that federal law says police should not have a waiting period before taking a missing-child report, and should enter it in the FBI NCIC Missing Person File. Could you take the report now, and give me the report number and your name?
I understand I do not have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing. I am worried about [name]'s safety because [the reason]. Could you take the report now and give me a reference number?
[Name], I am worried about you and I just want to know you are safe. You do not have to tell me where you are. Please message or ring me when you can.
Not for you if…
This page is for someone who cannot find a person they know. It is not for finding someone who has left on purpose and asked not to be found. It is not a crime for an adult to go missing. In the UK, police will not pass on where an adult is without their permission, and in Northern Ireland the PSNI says it may tell you they are safe and well but cannot say where. If the person may have left to get away from someone who hurt them, tracing them yourself can put them in danger, however much you mean well: give the police everything you know and let them check that the person is safe. If you are the one who has left or is thinking of leaving, in the UK, Missing People (call 116 000 from 10am to 5pm, or text it from 10am to 10pm) can pass a message from you to a family member over 18 without knowing where you are, and Childline is open at any hour if you are under 19; in the US, the National Runaway Safeline is open at any hour. If the person may be abroad, tell the police first; in the UK GOV.UK also says to call the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 020 7008 5000 and ask for consular assistance. If you think a child has been taken out of the US, tell the police, then call NCMEC and the State Department's Office of Children's Issues on 1-888-407-4747 (+1-202-501-4444 from abroad). If the person has died, the guide 'Someone died' is for you. If you were with the person when they went missing, or you think a crime is involved, tell the police straight away; this page does not plan a search. This page does not cover rules about declaring someone dead, which differ by state and nation, or the legal steps for managing a missing person's money in any part of the UK, such as guardianship in England and Wales. Ask a solicitor or Citizens Advice.
A different emergency? Account frozen or closed · Benefits stopped · A car accident · Suspended or excluded from school · Debt collector or court papers · Eviction notice · Flood, fire or storm · Unsafe home · Hurt at work · Paid a scammer · Lost my job · Lost wallet or phone · A medical bill · Nowhere to sleep · Shutoff notice · Someone died · A tax bill · Told to leave home