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An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Missing Children

Access federal and federally-sponsored information and resources on missing children, find help for families, and locate materials for law enforcement and other personnel and service providers.

Internet Safety

The Internet Safety Special Feature provides access to federal and federally-funded publications and online resources related to the safety of adults and youth while online.

Commemorating National Missing Children’s Day

Commemorating National Missing Children’s Day

Etan Patz, six years old, was walking to school in New York City when he disappeared on the morning of May 25, 1979.  He never made it, and he wasn’t reported missing until he didn’t return home that evening.  After his mother alerted the police, more than 100 police officers and bloodhounds embarked on an intensive search for the missing boy.  But he was never...

Supervisory Officer Checklist

Date Published
March 2020
Publication Type
Report (Technical Assistance), Report (Grant Sponsored), Instructional Material (Programmed)
Agencies
OJJDP-Sponsored

Investigative Officer Checklist

Date Published
March 2020
Publication Type
Report (Technical Assistance), Report (Grant Sponsored), Instructional Material (Programmed)
Agencies
OJJDP-Sponsored

Visiting Our Partners at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

NCMEC Visit
"I so appreciated getting a behind-the-scenes tour of NCMEC’s extraordinary operations to save children and am so proud of OJP’s long partnership with them." @missingkids -Katie Sullivan at NCMEC.

By Caren Harp, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a critical partner to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), serving as a resource to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. Since its founding in 1984, NCMEC has helped recover more than 296,000 missing children...