If My Child Were Missing ......

If I were to find my child missing, and I've called the police but need to do 'something-anything' to be pro active. What should be the things that I should (and SHOULDN'T) do.


I want my child to be in the news, but don't want it to become a lucrative deal for TV sensationalism.

Should I get a lawyer to speak for me or my child?
Should I appear in person (complete with no streaked eyes and snotty nose)?
Should I have an online presence?

How do I maintain a high profile without letting the case become a newsnight 'bombshell'?

Are we allowed to give our inputs? Unfortunately, I don't think it is possible for a case to get extensive coverage, without sensationalism. A child who is abducted in a sensational manner (kidnapped from the bedroom, walking home from school, etc) is more likely to get attention than someone in the age 13-17 range who is believed to have runaway. The more coverage your case gets, the more information about your family that becomes public.

I don't think it would be too difficult to get your child's case mentioned by the national media, because you have 24/7 channels and websites; although if your child is perceived to be a runaway, national media attention is almost impossible. But for the national media to give a case extensive coverage, and not just one article, they are going to have to find sensational aspects. Unfortunately, the media tends to drop cases very easily. The media is a business run by advertisers, and unless they believe a case is going to "sell" and bring in ratings, they're going to drop it.

Even though her show is sensational, the best chance a case has for national media attention is Nancy Grace, and then Jane Velez Mitchell and Greta too. With those shows, true crime is (usually) the focus, but with other shows, your missing child's case is "competing" against every other news story in the country. Two other national shows that tends to give attention to missing kids is Good Morning America and The Today Show.

I also think that FB groups are a great way to get the word out. You can invite all your friends, who will invite all of their friends, etc. Then you will have the people who see the case on the news, and will join the FB group, and invite their friends too. It's also free, unlike a website where getting your own domain name costs money.