Missing Children in America's Schools - Projects at NFSTC.org

Investigating Cases of Long-Term Missing ChildrenRobert Lowery, Jr.Executive DirectorNational Center for Missing & Exploited Children

National Center forMissing & Exploited ChildrenEstablished in 1984 by aCongressional Mandate as theNational Clearinghouse for MissingChildrenNon-profit 501 (c) (3) organizationN C M E C has assembled aremarkable team of professionalswith vast law enforcementexperience providing free servicesand resources(per 42 U.S.C. and 22 C.F.R 94.6)Headquarters located inAlexandria, V A327 Employees

NCMEC TodayServes as a resource center in providingassistance to parents, children, law enforcement,schools, and the community in searching for andrecovering missing children and raising publicawareness about ways to help prevent childabductions, molestation, and sexual exploitation Works with clearinghouses established in all 50states plus the District of Columbia, Canada,Puerto Rico, and the NetherlandsBranches established in CA, FL, TX, and NY7 federal law enforcement agencies assigned

NCMEC MissionTo help find missingchildren and preventthe sexual exploitationof children

Long-Term Missing Children

ClassificationsEndangered RunawaysFamily AbductionNon-Family AbductionLost, Injured or Otherwise Missing(LIM)

Missing Children andChild Abductions• An estimated 1.3 million children go missing every year.Only 797,500 of those are typically reported to lawenforcement agencies Non-family abductions 58,200 non-family abductions per year 1/2 are sexually assaulted (approx. 30,000 children) 1/3 are physically assaulted (approx. 20,000 children) Family abductions 203,900 per year

Child Abduction Homicides60-150 children are abducted andmurdered each year based onofficial recordsOver 2600 children reported missingto NCMEC as of April 2011 weremissing over a year putting them athigh risk for victimization

Duration of Open NCMEC CasesAs of April 201110+ Years5 Years to 10 Years2 Years to 5 Years1 Year to 2 Years6 Months to 1 Year2 Weeks to 6 MonthsUp to 2 WeeksEndangered RunawayFamily AbductionLost Otherwise MissingNon-­‐Family AbductionAge 18 to 210 500 1000 1500

Child Abduction HomicideVictimsAverage victim is an 11 year old girlDescribed as low-kidGood family relationshipHas initial contact with anabductor in public areasChild is chosen because they areavailable and unguarded

Nature of the Call in ChildAbduction Homicides 60% Missing Person Report 20% Body Recovery 10% Abduction 9% Runaway Report

How Long Do They Live? 44% die within the firsthour 74% in the first three 1% survive more than a day 40% were dead before theywere reported missing

Images

Age Progression 1 out of every 6 children are recoveredas a result of distribution of their image Because of physical and bone structurechanges images of missing children arethe age of 18 After 18 years of age, the images arechild matures

Using Public Records DatabaseSearches to Find Missing Children

Working Together to Keep Our Children Safe

What Can We Find? Addresses, landline and cellular phone numbers Relatives and associates Businesses, employment, tax liens and judgments Vehicles, property, licenses and voter registration NCIC Offline results, arrest records, warrantinformation Sex offender registration Social Networking site information

Social Networking SitesHow can they help? To gain information on child or CSAW such as location, friends,activities family members may not be aware of, etc. In ERU cases SNS are especially helpful in identifying possibleprostitution/gang related activitiesThe more we know about the child the better we can tailorour searches There are social networking sites for sexual orientation, religion,race, and various social groups (i.e. Gothic, Hippie, Anime) We have the ability to search dozens of different sites, but usethe most popular in general searches - MySpace, Xanga, Bebo,Hi5 We can search public profiles, pictures, blogs, comments, etc We cannot and password

NCIC/Nlets Searches Check hot files in NCIC to confirm that children and/orabductors are entered into NCIC Modify a missing child entry by adding a NCMECinterest flag. license information Send administrative messages through Nlets with offer ofNCMEC assistance or confirmation of credentials III Criminal History checks on a limited basis forinternal use (non-disseminating agency )*NCMEC is 1 of 2 non-­‐law enforcement agencies who have access to NCIC

Attempted Abductions Case Analysis Unit analysts track attemptedabductions nationwide Incidents include attempted abductions & All incidents confirmed with law enforcement Identify/analyze regional trends and patterns Summary of confirmed activity

Weekly BulletinAny request contactattempts@ncmec.orgor1-800- THE LOST

Sex Offender Searches Given a name, we can search to identify ifthat individual is a registered sex offender Given a location, we can search to identifyregistered sex offenders within a specifiedradius We can provide this information in an Xcelspreadsheet and on a map in relation to wherethe child went missing Specifically helpful for NFAs (with anunknown CSAW) and LIMs

Forensic Services Unit Cold Case Support- Public record searches for missing children,suspects and persons of interest- Timelines and case comparisons- Participate in Cold Case Reviews Deceased and Unidentified ChildCases- NCIC Offline submissions for unidentifiedchildren- Locate family members of missing or deceasedchildren for DNA submissions

Long-Term Missing Children andthe NCMEC NCIC/NamUsPartnership

Why?

NCMEC NCICFor the past 27 years NCMEC has partneredwith NCIC to help find missing childrenNCMEC has the unique distinction of being oneof the very few non-profits with NCIC accessNCMEC does not act as a law enforcementagency, and does not enter or modifyinformation about missing childrenNCMEC does receive critically missing childnotifications from NCIC Child Abductionsand Amber ALERTS

NCMEC/NamUs Partnership In January 2010 NCMEC began enteringcases of long-term missing children intoNamUs. To Date: 2,563 Total Missing Children Cases 802 Resolved Currently (as of October 7, 2011) 147 Not Yet Published 372 Dental Records 693 DNA Profiles 25 Fingerprints

Managing NamUs Cases of Long-Term Missing Children into the NamUs database after 60 days(DLC) -bycase basis after consideration of potential

Matching Records GenerallyPositive (conclusive) matches ofmissing children to unidentifiedremains cases largely depends onthe profile strength of the NamUsrecords and requires verification bymedical/forensic scienceprofessionals of properauthority and jurisdiction.

Project ALERT FSU Support Case responsibility PA Deployment responsiveness/coordination Coordination with law enforcement and families Re-examining solvability factors NamUs entry/modifications Role of CMS

Packing the record Additional searchable fields NamUs vs. NCIC Goal - all cases 5 stars NCMEC Internal Status

FingerprintsPrimary IdentifiersBiometric Data generally rare in missing children cases DNA Known/direct samples hair brushes,toothbrushes *Caution Family reference samples parents, siblings mtDNA/STR

Dentals Most up-to-date records and x-rays/radiographs NOTE: Treatment notes are critical! X-raysare prior to restoration. Characteristics (coding) vs. Dental records Forensic Odontologist

Missing Teeth/Gaps/Alignment Condition Unique dental work Bridges, caps or fillings Braces (full/partial/color) Retainers Implants

Secondary Identifiers Hair color Eyes Height Weight Clothing shoes, eyewear Accessories hair accessories, belts,purses

Distinctive Body Features Scars, Marks and Tattoos Piercings Location? Photos available? Facial and Body Hair

Other ConsiderationsLocation of remains in comparison toknown locations, suspectedlocations, or sightings of missingchild.Timeline DLC vs. Recovery date ofremains and/or estimated date ofdeath.Circumstances comparison of factsof missing to recovery of remains.

More Factors Effecting MatchesUnidentified Persons Full Body Recoveries FreshDecomposition Stages Partial Body RecoveriesBody Parts No body cases (bloody towels case)

Determining Sex partial remains Estimating Height and Weight Long Bones Estimating Age Approximating Time of Death

Levels of Exclusion/Inclusion There are no known standards for including orexcluding matches Each case must be judged on its own merits final determination of a positive match only bymedical/forensic professionals Generally, all potential matches, regardless ofprofile strength, will be forwarded to lawenforcement and medical examiners/ coroners

The Forensic Imaging Unit Facial Reconstructions/Composites From skulls From postmortem photographs Age Progression Long-term missing children Missing / Unidentified Comparisons Identifying points of comparison Superimposition

Reconstructions from SkullsWorking with anthropologists, ForensicImaging Specialists at NCMEC preparefacial reconstructions from skulls fordistribution to the public.

New Forensic Imaging TechnologyComposites are now created in three-dimensional,virtual sculpting software. Skulls are first sent to theSmithsonian Institute, where a CATscan is performed. The data file from the scan is loadedinto the sculpting software to create a3-D image of the skull on-screen. The artist then sculpts the compositein a virtual environment, allowing theimages to be created without riskingdamage to the remains.

DNA Collection ProgramThrough a partnership with theUniversity of North Texas and withgrant money provided by the NationalInstitute of Justice, the ForensicServices Unit facilitates free DNAprofiling for missing and unidentifiedpersons. Each profile is loaded into the National DNA IndexSystem, where it is proactively compared with all otherprofiles in the database. DNA collection kits are provided to law enforcementat no cost .

NCIC Lastly, Project ALERT will be seekingpermission of the law enforcementagency for uploading images of thechildren into the NCIC Missing PersonDatabase

Infant Abductions

Childbearing age (12-50) Often overweight Often married or cohabitating Frequently visits nursery and maternity units Plans abduction , but does not necessarily target child Frequently impersonates a nurse Becomes familiar with healthcare staff & parents

W H Y?Madison Park- CNNCathy Nahirny NCMEC -January 2011

Infant AbductionsNCMEC has Trained more than 65,000 healthcareprofessionals Provided on-site security audits of more than1000 healthcare facilities Advised and assisted law-enforcementofficials across the country handling infantabduction investigations

Questions?