Mihrican Mustafa, also known as Jan, was 38 when she went missing from Canning Town, London. A drug addict, alcoholic and sex worker, Jan’s life had fallen apart after losing her job at T.K. Max and becoming homeless. Her sister Mel reported her missing in April 2018, but when she first rang the police, they… Read More »Missing twice: How police bias makes vulnerable people who go missing invisible
You could be forgiven for not knowing the case of Lana Purcell. A single mother born and raised in Camden, Lana went missing on January 17, 2011, at the age of 26. Whilst the police believe the case could still be solved, media appeals and a £20,000 reward have been unsuccessful at producing many worthy… Read More »Goldsmiths Gumshoes: Could this student cold case team find Lana and ‘The Gentleman’?
When a person goes missing several pieces of demographic information are collected; age, gender, and ethnicity. However, there can be large discrepancies between police forces regarding the methods they use to collect this information, leading to gaps in the statistics and our understanding of who goes missing. Currently police use the following categories when collecting… Read More »Missing and misidentified: why do so many people end up categorised as ‘ethnicity unknown’
Every day, people are reported missing across the United Kingdom. Of those missing, most of them are found within 48 hours but for an unfortunate few, their whereabouts remains unknown for far longer. As with any search, a pivotal part of its success comes down to exposure – more awareness means more people are looking.… Read More »A story unlike any other: the alchemy of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance
On October 21, 2007, the body of a young man was found in a London public toilet. The only possessions he had with him were a travel pass, cigarettes and some betting slips. Fourteen years later, his identity remains unknown. On December 31, 2018, a man’s body was found in a salt marsh, Lincolnshire. His… Read More »A body is found with some cigarettes and betting slips – what happens next?
When we think of a missing person, we conjure up images of police scouring unkempt fields, loved ones suspended in prolonged emotional paralysis and a victim who has come into harm’s way by the hand of a dangerous criminal. While this is the reality for some, the vast majority of missing persons are found within… Read More »Going missing is not a crime – so why is it treated like one?
When police receive a missing persons report they face a tough decision, one which will determine the amount of energy and resources that go into finding someone’s loved one. The officer that receives the report must try to accurately assess the missing person’s level of risk. If a person’s risk is deemed as “low” or… Read More »Risk assessments: with so many missing, how do police decide who to prioritise?