The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued an unusual press release on Friday, in an effort to reassure people that the state is not experiencing a sudden increase in missing young people. According to the press release, “The number of missing juveniles reported in recent weeks is in line with historical numbers.”
Sgt. Nathan Ludwig told Little Village that DPS had been contacted by a number of concerned citizens who had seen social media posts claiming young people were going missing in suspiciously high numbers. “There’s nothing unusual happening,” Ludwig said.
Ludwig said the social media rumors appear to have been sparked by the media coverage of the case of Mollie Tibbetts, a 20 year-old college student who went missing in Poweshiek County on July 19. Tibbetts’ disappearance has attracted nationwide attention, and some of the reporting has been lacking important context. For example, on Thursday, the Cedar Rapids radio station KHAK published a story titled, “36 Iowans have been reported missing in the last 8 days.” The story, which contained a list of missing person copied from a DPS database, began:
It’s been eight days since University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn, Iowa disappeared. As authorities continue to search for her across the nation, the number of Iowans that have disappeared since is startling.
But according to DPS statistics, there is nothing startling about that number.
Only six of the people listed by KHAK were adults. On average, approximately 12 Iowans under the age of 18 are reported missing each day, the DPS reports. “The vast majority of [them] are found or returned home within 24 hours. Typically these cases are runaway situations,” the DPS press release stated.
Unusual or not, something has to be done about this.
When I looked up the site 2 days ago there were 21 pages of missing Iowans going back to the 70s. Regardless if it is the normal amount of people gone missing as usual these people are still missing!!!! Their name a would be taken down from the list of they have been found. The last 5 pages alone are people who have gone missing in the last month. There obviously is an increase of missing persons whether or not they are runaways they are still missing!!!! We need to do something to help protect our kids. I stand by it takes a village to raise a child…..
“Missing” & “Kidnapped” are 2 different occurrences
Calls are made daily about a missing child/person/elder
Runaways reveal a breakdown of parenting and/or proper care.
Children are later found at a relative’s/friend’s house, the elderly are found by family/friend’s or reported to the police by a good samaritan, people return home after not communicating for an unusual duration, which prompts the frantic 911 phone call.
One child missing is one to many Might be a good idea to let people know when they are found to eliminate the panic