The Search Process

The preliminary phases of the search generally focus on collecting background information about the missing person and the events surrounding their disappearance. It is important to ensure that information about the person who has gone missing or become separated, and about the circumstances of how they became separated/disappeared, is recorded in sufficient detail precisely at the time when that person is reported to have become separated/gone missing, as important details may be forgotten with the passage of time.

The safety of the people providing the information, and of those that are the subject of that information, is of primary importance. While the information should be shared among the appropriate authorities, once provided, it should be protected, and no data should be used or published that may cause harm to individuals.

The first step in looking for a missing person is to submit a tracing request, and the initial tools to be used are missing persons data collection forms. These initial data to be collected should include all available information that will help in the search for the missing person and that is necessary to maintain contact with the enquirer.

Organizations and authorities carry out data collection according to their context, needs, resources and mandate, but missing persons data generally include the following types of information:

a) information relating to the identity of the person: 

• general personal/social information (name, age, home address, place of work, marital status, etc.)
• physical appearance (height, weight, eye colour, hair colour, etc.)
• medical and dental history (fractures, diseases, missing teeth, dental crowns, fillings, etc.)
• distinguishing features (habits, e.g. pipe smoking, unique characteristics, e.g. scars,birthmarks or tattoos)
• clothes and other personal items the missing person was wearing or carrying when they were last seen
• biological samples from the relatives of a missing person (and/or samples from the missing person acquired before their disappearance), which may also be collected for use in the identification process;

b)    information relating to the circumstances of the disappearance:

• where was the person last seen, who else was there, what was the situation, what happened, etc.

Any individual who was in contact with the missing person is a potential source of vital information. For this reason, the search and identification processes must adhere to important multidisciplinary principles and standards, many of which are taken from the forensic sciences (e.g. medicine, pathology, anthropology, archaeology, fingerprint analysis, dentistry, genetics), and call on experts from different related disciplines (e.g. researchers, investigators, crime-scene experts).

Usually, family members will have undertaken a great deal of research on their own to uncover as much information as possible about the missing person, especially if several years have passed since their disappearance. While doing so, they sometimes come across information about other missing persons (not related to them), the location of burial sites, etc. It is important to record this information as well.

Once the data are collected, responsible authorities or organizations supporting the families in the search process will try to match the data collected as part of the tracing request with:

• other data previously collected – such as lists of people who are safe and well, injured, deprived of their liberty or dead – and other tracing requests
• information shared by official institutions and other organizations
• other data published in the media or on the internet.

Collecting comprehensive data early is as important as preserving data for as long as necessary and protecting that data. The need to consult or re-activate a case may arise years, or even decades, after the end of an armed conflict or other violence. Archives are comprised of records and other documentary materials selected and preserved over time in order to attest to what was done in the past. Archives should contain authentic, reliable and complete information that constitutes an authoritative source of knowledge and learning. They should be organized according to specific regulatory frameworks derived from international and domestic law.

Search activities may be carried out by a variety of actors, including government authorities, NGOs, international organizations, families and other civil society associations, depending on the circumstances and context in which a person goes missing. The effectiveness of the search process also depends on the extent to which these different actors exchange information and harmonize how they collect it so it can be easily shared. In addition, it depends on the degree to which families and communities are kept informed and consulted about the search process: its limitations, the chances of success and the probability of finding the missing persons alive or locating their remains through exhumation and forensic identification. Any direct participation by the families in the search process should be dealt with in a sensitive and culturally appropriate manner. Effective mechanisms must be established at various levels to enable coordination and avoid duplicating data-gathering and search efforts; otherwise, there is the risk of revictimizing families by contacting them multiple times to collect the same information. Actors should be aware of each other and, insofar as possible, coordinate efforts and ensure a proper orchestration of data.