Guides for Families and Researchers

Practical, step-by-step help for families of missing people and homicide victims, and for anyone researching an unsolved case: what to do first, how to get attention for a case, how to search, and where to turn for answers. Every guide is free.

Looking for cases? See the Missing Persons, Unsolved Murders, Unidentified Persons and Unclaimed Persons databases.

When someone is missing

• What to Do When Someone Goes Missing: The First 48 HoursA step-by-step checklist for the first hours and days after someone goes missing: reporting to police, what to give investigators, what to search, how to protect evidence and how to get the word out.
• How to Search for a Missing Person by NameWhere to look up whether someone is listed as missing: NamUs, NCMEC, state clearinghouses, Canada's national site and a combined search that also finds similar spellings, plus tips for when a name search finds nothing.
• How to Make a Missing Person FlyerWhat to put on a missing person flyer, how to lay it out so people actually read it, where to post it, and a free flyer maker that fills in the details for you.
• How to Organize a Search Party for a Missing PersonHow to plan a safe, useful volunteer search for a missing person: working with police, signing in volunteers, dividing the area, what to bring, what to do if you find something, and how to keep it going.
• How to Search for Missing Persons in CanadaWhere to search for missing people in Canada: the RCMP's national Canada's Missing site, provincial and city police, resources for missing children, and a combined U.S. and Canada search.

Getting attention for a case

• How to Write a Press Release for a Missing PersonHow to write a press release for a missing person or cold case that local reporters will use: what to include, a fill-in template, how to send it to newsrooms and when to follow up.
• How to Get the Media to Cover Your Loved One's Cold CaseHow families get TV, newspapers and podcasts to cover a missing person or unsolved homicide: what makes it news, who to contact, what to send and how to keep a cold case in the public eye.
• How to Offer a Reward for Information on a Missing Person or Unsolved MurderHow families offer a reward for information in a missing person or unsolved homicide case: setting terms, holding the money, working with police and Crime Stoppers, and publicizing it.
• How to Get an Age Progression Photo of a Missing PersonWhere families can get an age progression of a missing loved one: free forensic age progressions through NCMEC and law enforcement, what photos to gather, and how to use the image.

Unidentified and unclaimed persons

• How to Find Out If an Unidentified Person Matches Your Missing Loved OneSteps for families of missing people: getting the case into NamUs, giving DNA and dental records, searching unidentified cases yourself and what to do if you think you've found a match.
• How to Find Out If a Relative's Body Is UnclaimedHow to find out whether a family member who died is being held unclaimed by a medical examiner or coroner, how to search unclaimed persons lists and how to claim them.

For researchers and web sleuths

• How to Research a Cold Case OnlineA practical guide for web sleuths and family members researching an unsolved case: case databases, newspaper archives, court and public records, records requests, and how to share findings responsibly.
• Unsolved Murders by State: Where to Find the NumbersWhere to find statistics on unsolved homicides by state, what clearance rates mean, and how to explore unsolved murder cases by state, decade, age and sex on the Crime Solvers Central statistics dashboard.
• Where to Discuss Unsolved Cases OnlineThe best places to discuss missing persons and unsolved murders online, from case-by-case forums to Reddit communities, plus the ground rules that keep discussions useful and respectful.

Crime Solvers Central is an independent, volunteer-run case research and advocacy site, not a law enforcement agency. In an emergency call 911. Questions? Contact us.