Someone missing right now? Call 911 first. What to do next

Community Search Network

Learn skills / Build your understanding

Protect the scene

What you leave alone can matter as much as what you find. Here are the basics.

The one thing to remember: Stop. Don't touch. Report it. Let the professionals decide what it means.

1. Why it matters

A dropped mitten can tell searchers which way a child went. A footprint can show how long ago. Search dogs follow scent, and scent is easy to spoil.

Most missing person searches are not crimes. But nobody knows that at the start, so police treat anything found as possible evidence. If it is moved, handled or walked over, it may be lost for good. Your job is simple: notice it, protect it, and pass it on.

2. What counts as a clue

  • Clothing, shoes, a hat, a blanket, a toy, a backpack
  • A phone, glasses, a medical bracelet, a walker or cane
  • Footprints, flattened grass, a trail through mud or snow
  • Food wrappers or a drink that looks fresh
  • An open gate, shed or car door that is usually closed
  • Anything that makes you think, "that doesn't belong here"

You do not have to decide whether it matters. If you wonder, report it.

3. The five steps

  1. Stop. Stay where you are. Do not step closer for a better look.
  2. Don't touch. Do not pick it up, move it, cover it or bag it.
  3. Look and remember. Note where you are, what you see and the time. If you can take a photo from where you stand, take one.
  4. Report it. Call 911, or tell the search leader or the nearest officer. Describe it and say exactly where it is.
  5. Keep it clear. Keep people and pets back. Step away the same way you came in, and wait where you can point responders to the spot.

4. What not to do

Don't

  • Pick the item up to bring it to police
  • Call everyone over to see
  • Walk around the area to look for more
  • Post photos or the location on social media
  • Tell the family yourself. Let police do that.

Do

  • Trust your instinct that something is out of place
  • Report it even if you feel silly
  • Share photos only with police or the search leader
  • Write down what you saw while it is fresh
  • Follow directions once responders arrive

5. Try it

What would you do?

  1. You are checking the wooded edge of your backyard after an alert about a missing man with dementia. You see a single slipper in the leaves near your fence. What do you do?

  2. While you wait, two neighbors come over to help and start walking toward the slipper. What now?

  3. You took a photo from where you stood. Who should get it?

6. If you find the person

People come first. If someone is alive and needs help, call 911 and help them. Do not hold back out of worry about evidence. See how to approach someone who is frightened or confused.

If the situation looks dangerous, or you believe the person has died, do not go closer. Step back, call 911, keep others away, and wait for responders. It is okay to be shaken. Tell someone how you are doing afterward.

These are basics to build understanding, not professional training. Always follow the directions of 911, police and search leaders. Last reviewed November 2026.