A Missing Child, a Leadership Journey

ao Tzu said, "To lead people, walk beside them." I have tried to live up to this standard through my unexpected leadership journey as president and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Twenty-five years ago, I was in public life in my native Louisville, Kentucky. It was not my aspiration to lead a national organization or even to leave Louisville. Yet following the tragic abductions of Etan Patz in New York, Adam Walsh in Florida, and twenty-nine children in Atlanta, I felt I had to do something.
At that time, police could enter information into the FBI's national crime computer about stolen cars, stolen guns, even stolen horses - but not stolen children. They had mandatory waiting periods before they would even take a report of a missing child. I felt our national laws and systems were inadequate and that children were suffering. I wanted to bring attention to these issues so policy makers would respond.

Read more here.

So why did Madeleine McCann detectives ask so few questions after major breakthrough?

Private detectives leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann faced questions last night after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed apparent shortcomings in chasing a ‘strong lead’.

The detectives failed to make even rudimentary inquiries before announcing a ‘significant’ development in the worldwide search for the six-year-old.

Read more here.

Connecticut Rep. Proposses Legilation on Missing Adults

The unsolved case of a man who disappeared five years ago has prompted a Connecticut congressman to propose federal legislation aimed at improving efforts to find missing adults nationwide.

Read more here.

New Tracking System Unveiled to Track Elderly Missing Persons

DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - A new tracking system to locate persons suffering from Alzheimers and other illnesses is making its debut in Darlington County.

Deputies with the Darlington County Sheriff's Office are training Tuesday and Wednesday to use the Project Lifesaver program that helps track down people with "at risk" wandering traits.

Sheriff Wayne Byrd says the program will be online at darcosc.com for the public to access information on those missing in the area. Transmitters will be provided to at-risk people that will be worn as a wristband or an anklet. If the person goes missing, family members can call police to track their loved one down.

Read more here .

Many Missing Aussies are Elderly

About 35,000 people are reported missing to police annually, many of them older Australians suffering dementia or memory loss.

This year's campaign focuses on that group, which Governor-General Quentin Bryce said would comprise almost 500,000 Australians by 2030.

Read more here.