Information to Help you begin and continue your search for a missing person -
 

Taking Care of the Current Situation: 

1. Stay Calm:   You need to remain calm for your missing loved ones and, if you panic, you may end up missing important information.

2. Phone the police/RCMP as soon as you suspect anything is wrong. Have a short description of your loved one, with clear and current pictures, as well as any details of the last visited places or people contacted.

3. Make posters and distribute ASAP (friends and family can focus on this for you).  Ensure you include:

A photograph, their full name, gender, any contact info (Police/RCMP #'s), what they were last seen wearing (clothing, jewelry, accessories), when and where last seen (place and time), ethnicity, height, weight, hair and eye color, glasses/contact lenses, any identifying features (such as birthmarks, tattoos, scars), and mannerisms.

Have family and friends go door to door around your loved one's neighborhood with posters (can sometimes get additional info). Place posters in highly visible locations i.e. telephone poles, businesses (ask first), bus stations, etc.  Send posters to  homeless shelters, police stations, fire stations, hostels, the Salvation Army, Red Cross, etc.  Remember to go Canada wide.

4. Make a list of all family and friends to contact, as they should hear the news directly from you.  They will be able to assist in the search.

5. Make detailed notes throughout the whole process, including times, dates, names, addresses, contacts, places you went and people to whom you have talked.                                                                                                        Take pictures of your missing loved one's house (inside and out) and also of anything you take out of the house to give to the police.

6. Talk to neighbors - ask when they saw your loved one last.  Ask how they were dressed, looked, their general disposition, mannerisms, etc.

7. Get police to set up a media release (television/newsprint/radio).

8. Check loved ones internet history (last visited sites, common themes visited, etc..) on their home computer.

9. Look through your missing loved one's bills (telephone- look for odd numbers, long distance numbers and call them if needed to find out the content of the conversation....).  Look through their filing cabinet and look for SIN card, passport, credit card #'s, and bank accounts (ensure police concur with this, and provide all this information to the police).  Call *69 on their phone for last number dialed.

10. Contact all bills (utilities, credit cards, banks...) to explain the situation so they can make comments on their accounts.

Taking Care of Yourself:

•  Never lose hope

•  Eat properly

•  Try to relax

•  Live (continue your life outside the search)

•  Know and understand that you will go through the 5 stages of grief:

•             DENIAL (it's not happening to me/us)

•             ANGER (Why is this happening to me/us, it isn't fair)

•             BARGAINING ( I promise I'll do more next time)

•             DEPRESSION (I just can't care anymore)

•             ACCEPTANCE (I'm ready to accept whatever the result is)

• Get help - do not go through this alone.  Family and friends are great supports, but also check with local agencies or your doctor to refer you to proper agencies.  It is perfectly OK to contact mental health agencies and/or depression hotlines as they may be able to help find support groups in your area to assist you and/or your family to get through the grieving process.

• Do not feel guilty for taking time for yourself.  You will need it.

• remain positive.     

• Don't give up hope.