Facts You Never Thought About When One Goes Missing

1. Every 40 seconds, a child goes missing in the U.S. When a child goes missing, the first 3 hours are the most crucial in finding the child safely.

2. Approximately 76.2% of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction.

3. It can take over 2 hours to get information about a missing child from a panicked parent.

4. Every year, more than 800,000 children are missing in the United States.

5. A person can be declared dead in absentia or "legally dead” after 7 years of being listed as missing. This time can be reduced in certain cases, such as in mass disasters (e.g., Sept 11, 2001) or major battles.